A Growing Up
by Delsie
Summary: [The Santa Clause 1] Two elves from very different backgrounds meet and discover they have more in common then they would have ever imagined. Bernardcentric. BernardOC, JudysemiOC. R&R! On Hold, but it will be completed!
1. The First Sighting

A Growing Up

By: Delsie

Universe: The Santa Clause (1)

Disclaimer: The characters, universe and dialogue of "The Santa Clause" are not my property. I'm just borrowing it for a little while. Please don't sue. I doubt you'd get much except for an incredibly annoying muse and a slightly worn teddy bear.

Summary: Two elves from very different backgrounds meet and discover they have more in common then they would have ever imagined. Bernard-centric.

Pairings: Bernard/OC, Judy/semi-OC

Rating: PG-13 (just to be on the safe side)

Author's Notes: I hesitate to call this story an AU because it's really not. What I've done is taken what little information was given to us in the first movie and expanded on it. Believe me, I have tried incredibly hard to stay within the limits set by the first movie.

This story will take place completely within the universe of the first movie. It's like the second movie never even happened. I do have an idea for an alternate ending, however, that would encompass the Santa Clause 2. Besides that story idea, I also have a few others brewing in the back of my head for this universe. Because of these stories, I'd like to keep this a closed universe for now (though my mind boggles at the thought of someone else wanting to write in my 'Verse).

There are many OCs in this story, none of which are Mary Sues. If romances between characters from the movie and original characters bother you, then don't read this story. I have made no secret about where this story is going (romance wise), so you have no excuse if you keep reading.

Special Thanks To: Ariesldy (for editing), KiwiFruit (for incredibly patience while I bounced ideas off of her), and TenebraeSica (for her excitement over the story and her editing skills).

Whew. That seemed to take forever. But, I'm done with all of that, so on to the story!

Part One: The First Sighting

The forest was cold. However, it wasn't just the temperature of the air. A feeling filled the wooded area, offering the impression of a chill that could seep through any number of layers. A shiver made it's way down the spine of a child-like figure. Small arms wrapped themselves around an equally small frame in an attempt to trap some warmth close to his skin. Alert brown eyes scanned the area, trying to pinpoint the cause of his discomfort.

Winter had already left the woods, yet spring was slow in making its appearance. A heavy silence hung over the wooded area, broken only by the tired calls of one or two birds. Thin tendrils of mist clung valiantly to the frozen ground and frost covered trees. The vague warmth from the half hidden sun was the only thing that combated the desolate and abandoned feeling of the forest. Another shiver worked its way down they boy's spine, though this time it wasn't in response to the cold.

The mood was suddenly broken as a warm coat descended onto the boy's shoulders. As was to be expected, he jumped, causing the coat to fall onto the ground. An irritated sigh came from behind him. The boy turned to see another child-like figure picking the coat up off of the ground. Red braids fell forward as she knelt down. With graceful ease, she stood back up holding the garment firmly. Green eyes shown with annoyance as she pushed the coat into the boy's hands.

"Really, Bernard," she admonished lightly, "that's no way to treat your best friend's coat." Bernard smiled slightly, glancing at the object in question, which now rested in his hands. For a moment they stood there until the girl rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Well, put it on!"

Letting the bag on his shoulder drop to the ground, Bernard did as he was told. Luckily they were about the same size so the coat slipped easily over his frame. Almost instantly, he felt warmer. He looked back at the girl.

"Thanks, but won't you be cold, Alicia?" he asked.

"If I was going to be cold I wouldn't have given you the coat."

Bernard nodded, smiling as he picked up his bag again. He knew that Alicia was lying to him, but he also knew that there was nothing to be done about it. This knowledge came from growing up practically next door. After being friends for longer than Bernard cared to remember, it was easy for him to tell when Alicia was lying to him. His smile increased as he watched Alicia automatically wrap her arms around her thin frame as the cold began to sink in.

Shaking his head he walked over to her and tapped her on the shoulder. The girl whirled around to face her friend, dropping her arms instantly.

"Come on, Alicia." Bernard gestured behind him where he knew fifteen figures of varying ages were moving quickly into the forest. "The others are leaving and I really don't want to get left behind, especially out here."

A slight smile appeared on Alicia's face as she fell into step along side her friend. "Spooked?"

"Let's just say if any wolves start howling I'm out of here."

"That's so cliché Bernard." A quick glance in Alicia's direction showed that she was grinning fully.

A smirk appeared on Bernard's face. "Yes, but also irresistible."

Alicia laughed. Bernard smiled in response as a comfortable silence fell between the two.

Nothing more was said during the walk through the forest. A few of the others in the group talked quietly but for most the atmosphere of the forest seemed oppressive and stopped much of their normal communication. The relief felt when they finally emerged from the forest into another, larger clearing was almost tangible.

For a moment the group just stood there, unsure of what was going on. Bernard took this time to look around at his new surroundings. The new clearing was indeed larger than the original. Bernard guessed that this had something to do with the fact that the area contained a few buildings. In the centre was the largest structure. It was simple building, rectangular in shape, only one story tall and made of wood. A few windows could be seen along the walls and there appeared to be three different doors. One was located on the shorter wall and the other two could be found on opposite ends of the longer one. Other buildings were scattered around the area and a few could be seen just beyond. Also made of wood, these buildings were smaller, usually with one door. Each had a dirt path leading up to them. Currently, a few heads were looking out of those doors. Knowing that they were the centre of attention made Bernard slightly uncomfortable and he found himself shifting his weight.

"Bernard," whispered Alicia, tugging gently on his, or rather her, coat.

"What?" asked Bernard, also whispering, as he pulled his arm out of her grasp.

"Look."

Alicia pointed to an approaching figure. From where he stood, Bernard could tell the figure was definitely female. As she approached, Bernard could make out auburn hair pulled back into a neat ponytail. Overall, the woman appeared to be an average twenty-three year old human. However, the look of maturity residing in her brown eyes and the pointed ears testified otherwise.

The woman, who was obviously an elf, stopped a few feet away from the group. Another woman detached herself from the others and went forward to talk to her. Both stood, talking in quiet tones. To Bernard, they looked very strange together. The woman who had come with them, Rachel, looked only to be eighteen and stood almost half a foot shorter than the first woman. Where Rachel was smiling and bright, the newcomer seemed serious. She showed little emotion and seemed to be uninterested in what Rachel was saying. Still, they continued to converse until finally Rachel turned back around and approached the group.

"Alright, it's all arranged. Follow Jennifer over there and she'll explain everything. I'll be back for all of you as soon as possible. And try to stay out of trouble." With a smile, Rachel waved good-bye. Then, she disappeared, a sound of chimes floating across the still air.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence after Rachel's abrupt departure before Jennifer finally spoke. "If you'll please follow me." A few glances were exchanged before the group moved forward.

As they walked, Bernard leaned towards Alicia. "She doesn't have any sparkles on her cheeks, Alicia," he whispered.

"Of course not," responded Alicia. "She's Southern. They don't have any sparkles."

"Then why do Northern elves get sparkles when their powers manifest?"

"Because we're different."

"But we came from Southerners. Our culture branched off from theirs, not the other way around."

Alicia stopped suddenly and turned to her friend. "I don't know Bernard. This is just the way it is. If you really want to know what happened, why don't you ask Jennifer?"

Bernard glanced at the Southern elf who had continued forward. He tried to imagine what asking her a question such as that would be like. With a shake of his head, he dispelled the image and continued forward. "Maybe I'll just accept it as the way it is."

A grinned spread across Alicia's face. "Good choice."

Bernard laughed, but quickly stopped when Jennifer halted in front of one of the smaller buildings separated from the clearing by a few trees. She turned to face the group of sixteen Northern elves.

"This is where you'll be staying. If you need extra bedding, ask one of the adults who you will see wandering around. Dinner will be served in two hours. If you wish to attend, please come to the main building in the clearing. Don't wander off into the forest alone or without a guide. It is quite easy to get lost. You will not be stopped from interacting with the Southern elves, but don't expect them to approach you. Try to remain civil. I'll allow you to unpack now. Enjoy your stay." As soon as Jennifer finished her speech, she walked away without even checking to make sure that the Northerners understood.

Once she was out of hearing distance, the younger elves broke into excited whisperings. Bernard wondered how long they would've remained outside whispering amongst themselves if one of the eldest elves with the group hadn't stepped forward. Almira quickly climbed halfway up the stairs then turned to face the rest of the group.

"Well, come on." She paused to wait for everyone's attention before continuing. "I don't know about you, but I'd rather talk inside a nice warm cabin then out here so let's head inside and get unpacked."

Various sounds of agreement washed through the group and when Almira turned to head inside, everyone else followed.

Unfortunately for the elves, inside the cabin wasn't any warmer than outside. For a moment, no one moved. As Bernard's eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, he took in what was to be their living quarters for an uncertain period of time. The cabin was as simple inside as it was outside. Along the walls there were six bunk beds, each with three bunks. On the far end of the room was a fireplace, currently empty of anything, even firewood. A small table sat in the middle of the floor with four chairs surrounding it. It wasn't a bad place to live, in Bernard's mind, although it could use some livening up.

It could also use some lightening up. Dropping his bag, Bernard worked his way through the room, looking for a window. Finally, he found one between two of the bunks. Without hesitation, he opened it up. A blast of cold air came in with the sudden flood of light. Cries of annoyance and surprise came from the other elves.

"Bernard, close the window!" hissed Almira.

"I don't see why we need to. It's no colder out there than in here and it seems like our only source of light right now." Despite his objections, Bernard already had the window closed.

A laugh came from the back of the group. Everyone turned to see Almira's brother, Carlin, leaning against the doorframe. The sibling's green eyes met as Carlin brushed his unruly mop of brown hair out of his eyes.

"Carlin?" Almira asked, annoyance barely hidden.

"I'm sorry, Almira," apologised Carlin sincerely. "It's just that he's right. We're no warmer in here than outside and until we get a fire going we're not going be any warmer. Now I know from experience that it's easier to light a fire when you can see what you're doing. So how about we let Bernard open that window again and I'll go to find some firewood."

Almira continued to glare at her brother for a moment, but finally acquiesced. "Go on," she sighed. Carlin grinned broadly and was up and out of the door before another word could be said. Almira rolled her eyes as she turned back to Bernard. "Open the window, Bernard."

Nodding, Bernard once again did as he was told. Behind him he could hear the other elves moving around, trying to find a place to sleep. Most had claimed a bunk by the time he turned around. Slightly nervous about having a place to sleep, he scanned the room looking for Alicia. A slight smile formed on his lips once he found her. Of course she'd take a top bunk. With a shake of his head he strolled over and stood looking up at where she was stretched out.

"Comfortable?"

Alicia grinned broadly as she rolled over onto her stomach so she could peer down at her friend. "Why don't you find out for yourself?" she asked, gesturing at the bunk below her.

The look in Alicia's eye made Bernard suspicious, but he climbed up despite of that. There resting on the middle bunk was his shoulder bag. Automatically he glanced back towards the middle of the floor where he had left it. Of course, it wasn't there, but Bernard hadn't even noticed that it was missing. Above him, Alicia laughed. Shaking his head, the elf climbed onto the bed.

"Cute." He moved the bag to rest against the wall before stretching out on the bed.

"I thought so," replied Alicia. Bernard could hear her shifting her position back to where it was before he interrupted.

Silence once again fell between the friends as they listened to the other elves sort themselves out. As he stared at the bottom of Alicia's bunk, Bernard's mind wandered back to Jennifer. _No sparkles._ The thought kept running through his mind. He had never seen an adult elf without sparkles before. When an elf at the North Pole had their powers manifest, sparkles began appearing on their cheeks. Usually, the fuller the sparkles, the more power that particular elf had. Without the sparkles, it was a little disconcerting how much elves looked like humans.

Suddenly, as Bernard examined what he had dubbed the Sparkles Problem, the young elf realised how little he actually knew about the opposite culture. This thought bothered him. He felt like he should know more. Lucky for him, he just happened to know someone with more connection to the outside world that he had.

Bernard opened his mouth to call out to his friend lying on the bunk above him. However he never got the chance to say anything as she called, "Hey Bernard?"

A slight smile appeared on Bernard's face at the coincidence of the situation, but didn't say anything about it. Instead he answered, "Yes Alicia?"

"Your dad is a close friend of Theon, right?"

"Yeah." Bernard's eyes narrowed slightly. Alicia knew full well that his father and Theon, the head elf, were extremely close friends. They were almost as close as Bernard and Alicia were.

"Then, would Theon maybe have told your father about what's going on at the North Pole?" Alicia continued.

"Probably."

"Then perhaps your dad told you?"

Bernard rolled his eyes at Alicia's roundabout methods. "They're doing some redesigning. There might even be some new buildings added."

"Redesigning?" Alicia rolled over and leaned over the edge of her bunk so she could see Bernard. "I thought your mother was an architect."

"She is."

"And doesn't your father work in –"

"Construction, yes."

Once again Alicia shifted her position. Then her foot appeared on the ladder. She stepped down until she was equal with Bernard's bunk. Shooting him a suspicious look, she asked, "Bernard, how long have you known about this?"

Raising himself up onto his elbows, Bernard shrugged as best as he could. "A couple of weeks," he replied nonchalantly.

"A couple of weeks?" Alicia jumped down the ground, stepping back to glare at her friend. "And you didn't think to inform me?"

Bernard rolled to face her fully. "I didn't know that we were going to be sent away. I just thought that certain areas would be off limits while they worked on them and we'd be allowed to stay. I was as surprised as you when I found out we were being sent here."

Before Alicia could say anything else, Carlin burst in the door carrying an armload of firewood. Beaming he set it down by the fireplace, then stood back up and scanned the room.

"I hope you saved me bunk." The elves exchanged looks. Most had forgotten about the boy who had gone to find them a means of heat. As Carlin watched the exchange, his smile faltered. "You joking, right. You didn't think to save me a bunk?"

Alicia just rolled her eyes before pointing out, "There's eighteen beds for sixteen elves. We're going to have two extra beds anyway so don't worry about it, Carlin."

"Ah. Well, then I'll get started on this fire." A wave of murmuring ran through the room at Carlin's announcement. Everyone would be glad to have some heat in the cabin.

Alicia shook her head as she turned back to Bernard. "So, you didn't know about us being sent away?" she asked, picking up where she had left off.

"What? Oh. No. I didn't know anything about it."

For a moment Alicia thought over the facts. "Alright," she finally said. "I believe you." With that, she swiftly climbed back onto her bunk.

Bernard stayed in the same position for a few seconds, trying to catch up with what just happened. Finally, he shook his head and lay back down. Pillowing his head with his hands, he proceeded to stare off into space. It wasn't long before his mind wandered back to the Southerners.

"Alicia?"

"Hmm?"

"You know a lot about Southerners, don't you?"

"I wouldn't say a lot, but I know a little."

"Tell me about them?"

"Sure." Alicia once again leaned over her bunk. "Why the sudden interest?"

"Well, we are going to be living around them for awhile and I realised that I don't know much about them."

"Ah. Alright then." Alicia rolled back onto her bunk. "You know that our culture branched off from theirs, right?"

"Yeah."

"Do you know why?"

"Not exactly."

"Alright. Well, to understand why that happened, you have to know a bit about Southerners, as in their social structure."

"Go on," prompted Bernard.

Alicia took a deep breath before continuing. "The main difference you'll find between Southern and Northern elves is their emotions. While Northerners feel a wide range of emotions, Southerners limit theirs. I don't really understand how. All I know is they won't feel anything too extreme. They may like you a bit and feel affection towards you, but they'll never fall in love with you. At the same time, though, they don't hate anyone. A Southerner won't go into a sudden rage or be truly excited about something. They're just not extreme people.

"Now, as you know, Northerners are the exact opposite. We're always dabbling in the extreme emotions like love and hate. Where Southerners are solitary, we're social."

Bernard allowed his eyes to drift shut as he continued to listen to his friend's explanations. It was truly fascinating. He wondered in the back of his mind how he could not have heard about all of this. Still, he was hearing it now and he could think of no better person to teach him about it.

x.x.x.

The two hours after their arrival had passed quickly for Bernard. Alicia's explanation hadn't lasted long. She had eventually called a halt to it, saying she was very tired and desired a quick nap. This had surprised Bernard because Alicia was rarely the type to admit fatigue. However, he had not argued with her and spent the rest of his time alternating between talking with some of the other elves in the cabin and thinking.

While Alicia talked, Carlin had managed to get the fire started and the cabin was actually starting to become a comfortable place to live. Alicia awoke shortly before the Northerners decided to seek food in the main building. Though all loathed the thought of leaving their warm abode, their hunger had left them little choice.

There hadn't been any sign of other elves as the small group walked into the clearing. They quickly discovered where everyone had disappeared to, though, as they opened one of the doors. Inside sat almost forty elves, all of varying ages. As soon as the doors opened, the large room had become completely silent. Glances had been exchanged among the Northerners and Bernard had heard a few clearing their throats. Slowly, conversation had returned to the room and the Northerners had all headed to an empty table.

By now the Northerners were half way through their meal and the noise level in the room had returned to a level that could be expected in a room of that size. Thinking back on their entrance, Bernard found himself chuckling. As Alicia would normally be quick point out, it was very cliché.

"Bernard, what's so funny?"

Bernard looked up to see the very person he had been thinking of giving him a suspicious look. Instantly, he cleared the smile from his face and sat up just a little bit straighter. "Nothing, Alicia." The look she gave him proved that she didn't believe him at all. With an innocent smile, Bernard changed the subject. "So, tell me more about Southerners."

"What do you want me to tell you?"

Bernard shrugged. "I don't know. How about appearances."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I've never seen an elf who looked over the age of maybe twenty, but Jennifer looked closer to twenty-five. Why is that?"

There was a moment of silence between the two as Alicia thought about the question. During this short period, Bernard found himself looking out over the other tables. He noticed many Southern elves sharing seats, which didn't make any sense to him. There were enough empty seats at the Northerner's table for the extra Southerners, but no one seemed interested in taking one of those seats. At first, he almost felt insulted. Then, he began thinking about it. If this table had been full of Northerners, would he have opted to sit at one of the Southern tables or would he have shared a seat with Alicia? Already he knew that he would share.

"I'm not sure why exactly." Bernard jumped at the sound of Alicia's voice. Turning, he saw that she was engrossed in thought as she tried to remember everything she knew. Smiling slightly, he began scanning the other elves again. "All I know is Southerners, fully mature Southerners that is, usually look closer to twenty-five whereas we're lucky if we look over eighteen." Alicia finally took the time to look up at her friend. Seeing his gaze wandering around the room, she lightly tapped him on the arm. "Bernard? Are you listening?"

Smiling fully, Bernard turned back around. "Of course I am. Continue."

"I don't know what else to say really. I think I once heard someone mention that Southerners age quicker than Northern elves when they're little and this puts their appearances out of sync with ours."

Bernard once again let his gaze wander as Alicia talked. Nothing truly caught his eye. It was just a collage of different faces. He didn't know any of them and most of them were purposefully avoiding making eye contact. It was this avoidance that was probably responsible for Bernard's sudden interest in a Southern elf across the room from him.

The girl looked to be nine years old making her about the same age as Carlin and Almira. She had long, plain brown hair pulled back in a simple ponytail. Over all, she didn't seem terribly impressive. She was just an average Southern elf eating her dinner. What caught Bernard's attention were the hazel eyes that had locked onto his. She intrigued the Northerner whose gaze was firmly fixed on hers.

Why was she so willing to make contact? Granted, she hadn't walked right up to him and said hello, but even this exchange was more than most others were willing to do. Maybe she was doing this as a dare. Or perhaps it was just to prove that she wasn't intimidated by the strangeness of a different culture. These both made sense and Bernard could think of dozens of other reasons she could have for this boldness, but he quickly decided on simple curiosity. After all, that was why he had been looking around at the other occupants of the room in the first place.

It seemed like forever that they stared at each other, though Bernard knew it was only a few seconds. Neither showed any signs of moving. What finally broke the moment was another Southern elf who had taken a seat by the first. This elf was a blonde of approximately the same age as the brown-haired one. At first, she just said something casually, not even bothering to look up. When she didn't receive a response, the girl spoke again. Bernard guessed that it was probably the other girl's name. Still the blonde got no response. Finally, she followed her friend's gaze to find Bernard watching the scene closely. He smiled when their eyes met. The blonde didn't smile back. Instead, she frowned slightly before turning towards her friend. Tapping her friend's shoulder, she finally got a response. As soon as the first elf turned towards her, the blonde began talking very rapidly. Bernard guessed from the look on the blonde elf's face and the few glances thrown in his direction that the first elf was being reprimanded for her boldness.

This thought disturbed Bernard. He couldn't understand what was wrong with being curious. Yes, his own curiosity had led him into trouble many times, but at least he learned from those experiences. Many other times that same curiosity had benefited him. The young elf frowned as he watched the two elves. He was tempted to go over and defend the brown-haired girl.

"Bernard!" A hand impacted with Bernard's shoulder, bringing his attention back to his table. A quick glance confirmed his suspicion that it was Alicia who had regained his attention.

"I'm sorry," he apologised quickly. "What were you saying?"

Alicia rolled her eyes. "Really, Bernard. You asked about this. At least try to pay attention, alright?"

The young elf smiled slightly. "Alright."

With a sigh and a shake of her head, Alicia began to repeat what she had already said. Yet Bernard still wasn't listening. Instead, he was looking back at the brown-haired girl who had been curious enough to make eye contact. It seemed that whatever her friend told her had an effect since the girl didn't even glance up again. Inwardly sighing, Bernard turned his attention back to his dinner and Alicia's conversation.

x.x.x.

A blast of cold air greeted Bernard as he opened the door to the Northerner's cabin. Quickly, he stepped out onto the steps and shut the door behind him, trying to stop any more heat than necessary from escaping. Once outside, the young elf moved to the left edge of the stairs and sat down. Automatically, he crossed his arms over his chest, trying to ward off the cold. _Doesn't this place ever get warm?_ he thought irritably.

The Northerner's had been in this camp almost a week now and the weather had shown no signs of improving. Then again, neither did the social conditions. There hadn't been any real communications between the two cultures. A few Northerners had tried talking to the Southerners. Their attempts were met with anything from polite excuses to be elsewhere to sneers and actual laughter.

For the most part, Bernard kept to himself. At first, he had tried approaching the brown-haired elf who had made eye contact with him on that first night, but she shied away. He hadn't even managed to speak to her. Eventually, Bernard gave up on actually talking to a Southerner. Besides, from what Alicia told him, he figured that Northerners were probably better company anyway.

The opening of the door behind him broke Bernard from his thoughts. Glancing over his shoulder, he found Alicia exiting the cabin. Without saying anything she sat down beside her friend.

"I thought you were sleeping."

"I was. Now I'm sitting out in the frigid air with an insane friend of mine." Alicia turned to Bernard. "C'mon. Let's go inside where it's warm."

A smile found it's way onto Bernard's face. _So that's why she came out here. You worry about me too much, Alicia,_ he thought to his friend, though he knew she couldn't hear him. Out loud, he said, "Nah. I came out here to wake up a bit. I was starting to doze off inside and since I'm going to be in bed in a few hours, I decided to avoid taking a nap. Besides, it's nice being able to spend some time alone."

Alicia nodded and stood up. "I'll leave then."

Without even having to look, Bernard grabbed his friend's hand and pulled her back down. "Don't worry. I don't mind your company."

Alicia grinned wickedly. "Having problems, eh?"

"I'm an only child Alicia. Of course I'm having trouble living with fifteen other elves."

Alicia laughed. "Now you understand how I feel about my sister."

"Yes, but that's only one person. Much easier to deal with."

"You haven't tried living with her."

Shaking his head, Bernard dropped the subject. He had been down this road with Alicia before. Never had he managed to convince her that her sister wasn't that bad to be around. With a soft sigh, he returned his gaze to the clearing.

Dinner had been over for a few hours. It was almost dark now, but there were still a few elves wandering about the area. The majority of the groups found outside were Southern. Still, Bernard could make out a group of three Northerners by the main building. Wondering who else was outside, Bernard let his eyes continue scanning the clearing.

"Hey, Bernard?"

"Yeah?" Bernard glanced at her to see that she too was looking into the clearing.

"Is that Carlin?" A pale hand pointed off to the right.

Following his friend's finger, the first thing that Bernard saw was two very familiar elves walking along one of the paths towards a cabin set back into the woods. The brown-haired elf that had been the topic of many of Bernard's musings was deep in conversation with her blonde friend. Remembering that he was supposed to be looking for Carlin, Bernard tore his gaze away only to find Carlin walking towards the two Southern girls.

"Yeah, I think so," Bernard finally said.

"When did he come outside?"

"While you were sleeping. I noticed him leave."

"He probably needed a break from his sister."

Bernard laughed. "Probably."

"Who's avoiding his sister?"

Startled, the friends whirled around only to find Almira standing behind them.

"N-no one, Almira," Alicia stuttered out.

Almira didn't look convinced, but she dropped the subject, opting for looking over the clearing. Suddenly she tensed. "Is that my brother over there?"

"Probably. Why?"

However, no answer came from the older elf, who had slipped past the two friends and was currently sprinting across the clearing. The elves left sitting on the steps exchanged looks before turning their attention back towards the last place they saw Carlin.

The scene had changed drastically. Carlin had already intercepted the girls and, presumably talked to them. Now, the brown-haired girl had a look of disgust on her face. Her friend, on the other hand, merely seemed shocked and possibly horrified. Bernard could see the blonde's mouth moving, trying to form words. For some reason, he didn't think that there was any sound coming from her despite her attempts.

"What…?" Bernard trailed off. This didn't make any sense. Carlin wasn't the sort of person to say something that would shock someone, especially a girl. Usually, he was polite and good-humoured. Most girls really liked him. Lucky for them, he really liked them too. Mentally Bernard shrugged. Everyone has their flaws. Still, none of this explained what was so shocking to those Southerners.

Turning his attention back to the scene, Bernard saw that Almira had arrived. Instantly, she stepped up to her brother and whispered something in his ear. A strange look crossed Carlin's features. Rapidly saying something to the girls, Carlin hurried back towards the Northerner's cabin. Almira stayed a few seconds longer, talking just as quickly as her brother had. Both of the Southerner's nodded at her words before continuing on their way, albeit a little quicker than before.

Turning on her heel, Almira once again sprinted towards her brother. He wasn't far from the cabin when she caught up with him. Glaring, she hit him upside the head and sped up her pace, muttering under her breath. Bernard watched her curiously as she stormed past, letting the cabin door bang shut behind her. Alicia smothered a laugh.

Carlin wasn't far behind his sister. Slowly he climbed the stairs, blushing furiously. For a moment he paused and turned to look down at the only two elves in the vicinity. Seeing Bernard's curious expression and Alicia's amused one, the boy quickly turned and entered the cabin.

Finally, Alicia let herself start laughing outright. Bernard was confused. What was so funny? After waiting a few seconds for Alicia to explain, Bernard asked, "What just happened?"

Struggling to catch her breath, Alicia gave her friend a strange look. "You're kidding, right?" At Bernard's uncomprehending look, Alicia rolled her eyes. "You really didn't listen to me on that first night, did you?" A slight blush crept onto Bernard's cheeks. "Well, if you had listened you'd know that Southerners age faster than we do."

It suddenly made sense to Bernard. Carlin's reputation, the response of those girls to whatever he had said, Almira's hasty and annoyed reaction.

"Oh no," moaned Bernard.

"Oh yes."

"How young were they?"

"Those girls? Oh, probably about our age."

Bernard smiled slightly. "That must have been quite a shock for them."

"Probably."

Shaking his head, Bernard stood up. "C'mon, Alicia. Let's go inside. I somehow doubt that anything is going to top that."

Alicia's grin widened. "Besides, I wouldn't mind seeing how Carlin deals with all the questions about that blush plus his sister's annoyance."

Helping his friend up, Bernard shook his head at her last statement. "You have a cruel and vicious sense of humour Alicia."

"I know."

Alicia pulled open the door and walked back into the warmth of their small abode.

x.x.x.

Alicia groaned as she rolled over on her bunk. Still half asleep, the young elf managed to burrow deeper into her blankets while pulling her pillow firmly over her head. A soft sigh went unheard from the bunk below her. Shaking his head in amazement, Bernard stared up at Alicia's bunk. In his opinion, it was a miracle that Alicia could sleep with all the noise inside and out of the small cabin.

Sighing again, Bernard turned his back to the wall so he could gaze out at the rest of the elves. Various groups were scattered around. Some sat on bunks, others on the floor and still more leaned against any available wall space. All except a few of the Northerners were up and chatting. Coupled with the howling wind and the sounds of the house settling, Bernard found the noise level loud enough to banish any hopes of sleep he might've had.

With an annoyed groan, Bernard shifted back to his former position on his back. In the three and a half weeks he had been here, more things were starting to irritate him. If he was willing to be honest with himself, the young elf could easily pinpoint the source his frustrations – homesickness. He missed his parents and his home. Many nights he found himself longing for his own bed, his own room. The young elf wasn't sure how much longer he could stand to be trapped here with the same company day in and day out. If only some Southerners would talk to them or if Alicia wasn't always so tired it might just be bearable. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be the way it worked here. Another forlorn sigh escaped Bernard's lips as his thoughts wandered towards home.

He was interrupted by an annoyed exclamation from below him. Rolling over, he looked down to see one of the younger elves pawing through her bag. Her normally tidy dark hair was falling out of its ponytail, giving the girl a harried appearance.

"Ianthe?" The girl stopped her search and turned her hazel eyes upward only to find Bernard watching her curiously. "What are doing?"

"Looking for something." Digging down into her bag, the girl felt around for a few seconds before pulling her hand out. "It's not here," she sighed, slumping dejectedly on her bed.

"What were you looking for?"

"My notebook. I write everything in there. It's really special to me and I take it everywhere I go. Except back to where it's supposed to be, apparently." The girl looked up, tears shining in her eyes. "I can't believe I lost it."

Taking sympathy on her, Bernard climbed down from his bunk. Sitting beside Ianthe, he softly asked. "Well, where did you last see your notebook?"

"At dinner."

"Alright. Then I suggest that's where you start looking."

"I don't have a coat. It hasn't been a problem until this wind started up and now it's night. It's too cold for me to go outside."

Bernard looked away. He knew that he shouldn't be doing this. Like Ianthe said, it was cold outside and, more importantly, it was late. Still, he couldn't help feeling sorry for her. With a sigh he stood up and climbed back up to his bunk. After looking around for a few seconds, he found what he was looking for and climbed back down. Ianthe looked at him strangely. Seeing her look, Bernard smiled and held up Alicia's coat.

"Thank you, Bernard, but that coat would be too big for me."

A laugh escaped Bernard before he could stop it. "I know, Ianthe. I was going to offer to go out and look for your notebook for you, before someone else finds it."

With a gasp, Ianthe shot up from her bed. "I couldn't ask you to do that!"

"And you didn't." Bernard smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. It's not a problem for me. Besides, if I find it in the main building, I'll be back here in just a few minutes."

Slowly, a smile made it's way onto Ianthe's face. "Thank you, Bernard."

He nodded as he slipped on the coat. With a final grin, he gave a small wave and turned towards the door. After a few steps, Bernard turned and darted back to his bunk. When he came back down, he was carrying his shoulder bag. Ianthe was once again giving the older elf a strange look.

For a moment Bernard just stood there giving her a similarly strange look. Then he realised why she was confused. Chuckling, he slipped his shoulder bag on.

"Habit."

Giving another small wave, he turned and quickly slipped out the door before anyone noticed him.

x.x.x.

It had been almost ten minutes since Bernard left the Northerner's cabin and he was still wandering around the area looking for Ianthe's notebook. It hadn't been in the main building or anywhere along the path between there and the cabin from where he had come. Of course, he hadn't expected it to be in either of these places. It was likely that someone had already found it. The elf could only hope that they had given it to one of the adults so it could be returned to the proper owner.

Despite this hopeful thought, Bernard couldn't help feeling guilty returning to the cabin without the book. It was why he was still out there. He didn't want to disappoint Ianthe. Sighing, the elf looked up at the cloudy night sky as he pondered his situation. Finally, he came to the conclusion that he wasn't going to find the notebook and he might as well head back. After all, what was the point of wandering deeper into the forest than Ianthe had even gone? Wrapping his arms around himself, Bernard headed back towards the warmth of his cabin.

"Sorry, Ianthe."

"Hmm. I wonder who this Ianthe is," said a male voice from behind Bernard.

Startled, the younger elf whirled around to see a Southern elf standing behind him. The older elf had a condescending smirk on his face as he looked out of eyes Bernard guessed were green. His dark blonde hair was carefully brushed so it would remain out of his face.

"She's probably his girlfriend or something."

Another Southerner stepped up beside the first. He looked about the same age and had the same sort of smirk. This elf's eyes appeared to be blue and his hair was light enough to be blonde. It was difficult to tell in the dark.

"If she is his girlfriend, it doesn't sound like he's going to have a good night."

Bernard saw movement to his right and turned slightly to see yet another elf stepping forward. The newcomer peered at Bernard through dark eyes that were half hidden behind even darker bangs. There wasn't the slightest sign of expression on his face, which Bernard found more unsettling than the looks the other two had.

"Is he even old enough to be looking at girls, much less be romantically involved?"

The first elf laughed while the second responded with, "Well put, Landon." Landon bowed his head slightly to show his acknowledgement of the compliment.

A sinking feeling appeared in Bernard's stomach. This situation didn't look good. All of his instincts were telling him to make a run for it. Against his better judgement, though, he stayed.

"May–may I help you with something?" asked Bernard, glancing between the three elves.

"My, my. Aren't we polite?" sneered the second elf. "Is there something he can do for us, Bennet?"

Bernard expected the response to come from the first elf, but instead it came from behind him.

"We'll just have to see about that, now won't we?"

A hand descended onto the collar of Bernard's coat. Automatically, he twisted out of it, dropping his shoulder bag in the process and whirled around to face the new elf.

However, instead of facing one elf, Bernard had turned to face two. The one holding the coat was a large figure with long dark brown hair that fell around his face chaotically. The second elf was leaning against a tree with his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were closed and his dusty brown hair fell forward, making him look as though he wasn't paying any attention at all. Bernard suspected that this supposedly indifferent figure was Bennet.

"Gee, Fergus," called the second elf. "That looks like a real nice coat. Toss it here."

The elf holding Alicia's coat grinned. "Sure thing, Demas." Fergus easily lobbed the coat to his friend.

"Hey!" cried Bernard, heading towards Demas, determined to get his friend's coat back.

"Fergus. Winston."

As soon as their names were said, Fergus and the first elf, Winston, moved forward towards Bernard. Instinctively, the Northerner backed away. Unfortunately, he had forgotten about the fifth elf. He was abruptly reminded of his presence when he backed into him. Looking up, Bernard saw the corners of Landon's mouth quirking up in amusement. The young Northerner didn't have time to comprehend his situation before Landon shoved him forward. The stumbling boy was easily caught by Winston and Fergus, who grasped his arms tightly.

"Let me go!" cried Bernard as he struggled in their painful grip. Mentally the boy kicked himself for not running when he had the chance.

"Demas!" Landon called.

Grinning, Demas tossed the coat to the other elf. Turning, the blonde glanced at Bernard before heading to where Fergus had been standing. Bernard's eyes followed him. "Hmm, I wonder what we have here." The Southerner bent down and picked up Bernard's shoulder bag.

"Leave that alone!" shouted Bernard, renewing his struggles. The shoulder bag was given to him by his mother to make sure he didn't loose anything he was carrying. She wouldn't be happy if she heard that Bernard had lost it.

Of course, Bernard's shout had only increased Demas' enjoyment of the situation. Grinning, he examined the bag, opening it and perusing its contents. The Northerner glared daggers at the other elf.

A sharp laugh broke Bernard's glaring. All eyes had turned to Landon who was examining the coat. Stepping up to the struggling boy he held up the left sleeve, which he had turned inside out, to reveal a small, carefully placed nametag. The name clearly spelled out was 'Alicia'.

Mentally, Bernard groaned. He remembered Alicia's mother giving her that nametag and insisting that she placed it somewhere in her coat. Disgusted with the mere thought of it, Alicia had hidden it in a place where most people wouldn't have thought to look. Apparently, this Landon wasn't like most people.

"So is that your name then, boy?" laughed Winston in his ear. "Alicia?"

"That's not my name."

"Sure, kid. Whatever you say," guffawed Fergus.

Brown eyes narrowed and swept over the elves, looking for someone to glare at. Bernard finally settled on Demas who had practically emptied the shoulder bag and was now strolling up to younger elf.

"I like this bag. It's very good quality," he commented as he approached. Standing only a few feet away from the struggling boy, he grinned broadly. "I'm sure you won't mind if I take it, will you Alicia?"

Without even thinking about it, Bernard kicked out at Demas. Although the elf tried to side-step the kick, Bernard's feet still managed to hit the side of his leg, knocking the Southerner off balance. Growling as he pushed himself up, Demas rose with his hand already clenched in a fist. As soon as he was on his feet, he let that fist fly towards Bernard. The impact caused Bernard to loose his balance. Blinking owlishly up at Demas, the young elf tried to regain his senses. He had never been punched before and he was already regretting his impulsive action.

Before he had time to think any farther on the situation, Winston and Fergus pulled Bernard back up from his position between them only to have Demas knock him down again. Demas was about to hit the boy in front of him a third time when a hand landed on his shoulder, pulling him back.

"Play nice, Demas," Bennet admonished. "You really should hit him like that."

Relief filled Bernard as he watched Demas back down. With his focus completely on the blonde elf, the Northerner didn't notice Bennet's amused smirk as he looked at the boy. Bernard's feelings of relief were quickly banished as Bennet's fist impacted with his mouth, splitting his lip.

"It's much more interesting if you're not as rough." Demas nodded as Bennet stepped back, allowing the other Southerner to close in on Bernard again.

Terrified, Bernard resumed his struggles, trying desperately to pull away from Fergus and Winston, but it was to no avail as Demas began raining down punches. _I should've run,_ thought Bernard. A well place punch brought stars to his eyes. _I really should've run._

x.x.x.

Cold was the first thing that registered to Bernard's senses. Everything around him was cold – the night air, the wind. Even the ground was freezing. _The ground? Why am I on the ground?_ he asked himself, disorientated. Bernard began to sit up. He hadn't gotten far before everything came flooding back.

Everything including the pain.

Gasping, Bernard let himself fall back to his former position. _Ow._ _Not going to try that again for a while._ Trying to relax as much as he could, Bernard began to take inventory of his injuries. One of the most painful injuries that Bernard noticed were his ribs. _Annoying things._ Concentrating, Bernard began taking shallower breaths to accommodate the injury.

The next thing to jump to Bernard's mind was his face. It felt like it was on fire. Although this was a nice change from the chill that seemed to be permanently ingrained everywhere else, the mass of bruises that the elf was sure resided there weren't very pleasant. Then again, nothing felt truly pleasant right now. Bernard's entire body was engulfed in pain. Currently he wasn't sure if he could move anything at all. Half-heartedly, he wiggled his toes. _At least my legs aren't broken,_ he thought semi-triumphantly. _Though I don't see how wiggling my toes helps me to get up._

The thought of lying where he was until help came seemed appealing to Bernard. After toying with the idea for a few seconds, Bernard discarded it. He was already cold and waiting for help lost its appeal in the face of the weather. Besides, he might have to wait until morning before anyone came and there was no way to tell how long he had been unconscious.

A resounding crack suddenly echoed through the quiet woods. Instantly, Bernard's attention became focused on his surroundings. For the first time since he had woken up, the elf tried to open his eyes. Thus far he had avoided this action. Now that he tried, he found only his left eye would open. The right one seemed determined to stay shut. Giving up on getting both eyes open, Bernard turned his head slightly, trying to see more of the area where the sound had come from.

The action was definitely a mistake. A headache that had been barely noticeable before now flared into painful existence. Even worse was what Bernard could see through his supposedly good eye. Everything in view seemed fuzzy and kept slipping in and out of focus. The added lack of depth perception made his viewing experience even worse. Groaning, Bernard allowed his eye to close and slowly returned his head to its former position.

Fighting back a nauseous feeling, Bernard almost missed the sound of voices approaching him. At first, a feeling of panic washed through him. He wasn't in any condition to deal with those five Southerners right now. His fears were quickly banished as he listened closer. The approaching voices were female. In his relief he almost forgot that at least two unknown women were coming towards his position. He was abruptly reminded when one of the girls called softly, "Over here, Kendra!"

The brush rustled, heralding the arrival of the girls whose voices Bernard had already heard. "Who is it?" whispered the elf that had called out earlier.

"I don't know," responded another. Bernard assumed this was Kendra. "I think it's one of the Northerners."

The sound of feet softly padding across the grass reached Bernard's ears. One of the girls knelt down beside him. A warm hand grasped his. Another hand quickly joined the first. Whoever was holding his hand proceeded to rub it, trying to warm it up.

More footsteps approached. "Kendra, I think we should leave."

The rubbing stopped. "Why?"

"It's not safe for us to be here. What if his friends find us here and think that we did this? Or, worse, what if Bennet and his group come back? I doubt they'll be happy to find out we helped him."

"Nicole, you worry too much." The Southerner now identified as Nicole hmphed at her friend's statement. "I'm being completely serious. Bennet and the others were headed back to their cabin and I don't think they'll be out again tonight. As for his friends, I'd welcome their appearance. Then they could take care of him, but they aren't here so it's left to us."

"What if he tells someone about us helping him?"

"Nicole, if you'd take a few seconds to look at him, I think you'll find that he's unconscious."

There was a moment of silence where Bernard guessed Nicole was examining him. The Northerner tried to become as still as possible. From the conversation that had passed between the two, he surmised neither would be willing to help him should he show signs of being awake. He also knew getting back to his cabin alone would be difficult and fairly painful. Resisting the urge to hold his breath, Bernard listened for any sign that Nicole didn't believe his act.

Finally, Nicole broke the silence. "He seems familiar."

"The Northerners have been here for almost a month now."

"Yeah, but it's more than that."

Another pause came in the conversation. "He is familiar," Kendra eventually agreed. More silence followed during which Bernard guessed the girls were trying to place him. Neither of these girls sounded familiar to him and it was starting to bother him. Why would he look more familiar than the other Northerners?

"We'll worry about it later," Kendra declared.

"I agree. If we're going to help him, let's at least hurry. I don't want to be out here longer than necessary."

"Fine. I doubt his ribs came through this unscathed so let's start there."

Bernard barely had time to brace himself before the girls slowly pulled him up into sitting position. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't stop himself from groaning when his ribs shifted. His groans were met by a gasp.

"Kendra," hissed Nicole urgently, "I think he's waking up!"

"Don't be silly. People can groan when they're unconscious."

"But, Kendra, what if he is waking up?"

"Nicole, does he look like he's waking up?"

"No. Not really."

"Then stop worrying." Kendra shifted her position from behind Bernard slightly. "Now, come back here and hold him up. I'll take care of his ribs."

The girls proceeded to switch positions. Although he knew they were trying their best not to jostle him too much, Bernard couldn't help but wince as Nicole situated herself behind him. Kendra, meanwhile, had moved to his side. In the silence that followed, Bernard tried to readjust his breathing to fit with his new position.

After what seemed like an eternity, Bernard heard the soft rustle of fabric just before Nicole gasped.

"Kendra!" she exclaimed softly. "Put that back on!"

"Look, I don't have anything else to wrap his ribs with. Do you?" The sound of tearing fabric punctuated each of Kendra's statements.

"No, but what if someone were to come along and see you?"

"We've already had this discussion, Nicole. Besides, I still have my coat."

Nicole made a disgusted sound. "There's just no reasoning with you."

"No," replied Kendra distractedly. "Alright. I think that's enough. Let's try and sit him up straighter."

Once again the two girls shifted Bernard. When he was in a more upright position, Kendra carefully pulled his shirt up. The sudden cold air on his chest caused the Northerner to gasp slightly. He hadn't thought he was that warm. Luckily, his gasp appeared to have gone unnoticed.

Gently, Kendra ran her fingers along Bernard's sides. "I was right," she said pulling back. "His ribs did take quite a beating. I'm also guessing that he won't be eating anything too substantial for awhile."

"Can we just get on with it?"

"Sorry."

Without further delay, Kendra began to wrap the torn fabric around Bernard's injured ribs. The wrapping of his ribs didn't feel any better. In fact, it hurt quite a bit. However, once Kendra had completed her task, Bernard found himself willing to admit that it did feel slightly better, though they still hurt. In general, having abused ribs wasn't fun and Bernard vowed to avoid the situation in the future.

Once Kendra had finished, Bernard's shirt was pulled back down and he was slowly lowered back to the ground. The sound of shifting fabric let Bernard know that Kendra had put her coat back on. After she was finished with that, the girls shifted positions once again. One of them was now sitting next to Bernard's head while the other took up position by his side.

"What now?" asked Nicole. Bernard guessed that she was the one by his side.

"Hand me your water bottle. I want to get some of this blood and dirt cleaned off. I can't tell anything as it is now."

The sound of sloshing water signalled the exchange of the bottle. Various sounds of water moving followed until, finally, a damp cloth descended onto Bernard's face. At first he flinched. The cloth hid his reaction and once again it went unnoticed. Slowly and meticulously, the cloth was brought over his face, starting with his left side. It still hurt, despite the light touch, yet the cool fabric felt good on the bruises.

It took some time, but Kendra finally finished the job. The cloth was removed and replaced by a pair of small hands. Gently, the girl moved Bernard's head slightly to the side. It quickly became apparent that examining his face was the girl's intent as she drew in close enough for Bernard to feel her breath on his cheek. After turning his head to the other side, the Southerner finally released him.

"It's not actually as bad as it first appeared. Those bruises look painful and I'd avoid smiling too much until that split lip heals. Over all, though, he should be fine in a few weeks." Her voice changed slightly as she continued. Bernard guessed that she was smiling. "His nose isn't even broken."

"That probably qualifies as miraculous."

Kendra laughed lightly.

"So, does this mean we're done here?"

"No. We need to get him back to his cabin so he can warm up. Plus, his friends are probably starting to worry about him." Before Nicole could protest, Kendra continued in a rush. "Don't worry. I have a plan. They won't even know that we were there. Please, Nicole. I can't carry him there by myself."

"Alright," sighed Nicole.

"Thank you."

"I expect you to repay me for all this."

"I know."

"Then let's go."

Swiftly, the girls stood and moved into position. One pair of hands grabbed Bernard's ankles while the other gently worked its way under his shoulders. Carefully, they lifted the Northerner up and began walking towards his cabin.

They had only advanced a short distance before Kendra stopped suddenly. "Nicole, I figured it out."

"Figured out what?"

"I figured out why he's so familiar. Here, let's put him down." The girls slowly lowered the injured boy onto the ground. "Remember that Northerner who was looking around on the first night and we ended up having that staring fest?"

"Yes. What of it?"

"It's him. It's the same Northerner. You do realise what this means, don't you?" asked Kendra kneeling down beside Bernard's head.

"No, Kendra, I don't. What does it matter anyway? It's the same boy. Who cares? We'll probably never see him again after this and he won't remember our help so why is it important?"

"Nicole, it's partially our fault that he got hurt."

"What? That ridiculous."

"Think about it. Those five have never liked us. They must have seen us staring at him. That's probably why they decided to corner him If we had ignored him maybe none of this would have happened."

Nicole softened her tone as she knelt beside her friend. "Kendra, it's not our fault. It's probably just a strange coincidence. After all, he did make the perfect target – he was out late by himself and away from the clearing where someone might've seen. It's not our fault this happened. Get up and we'll take him back to his cabin, alright?"

Sighing, Kendra stood back up. "Alright."

Soon, the girls were headed towards the Northerner's cabin with the young elf carried between them. Bernard was glad they made the rest of the journey in silence. It gave him time to sort through this new information. Before he had assumed these two girls were just being kind-hearted. It hadn't occurred to him that they could be the same two Southerners he found himself wondering about so often. Thinking back over their conversation, Bernard finally came to the conclusion that it did seem to fit. Kendra must be the brown-haired elf who had made eye contact. Throughout this ordeal, she had always been the most concerned for his well-being.

Bernard's thoughts were interrupted by their arrival at the cabin. Again, the girls carefully lowered Bernard to the ground. Off to his left, the Northerner could hear various noises coming from inside. _If they're still up, then I couldn't have been unconscious for too long,_ reasoned Bernard.

"What now?" whispered Nicole.

"Now you're going to head back to our cabin. I can handle things from here."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am. Now go. The quicker you leave the quicker I can finish this."

"Alright. Just don't take too long."

"I promise."

With a sigh, Nicole left Kendra standing beside Bernard. For a moment, the remaining Southerner didn't move. Once the other girl was gone, Kendra knelt down beside Bernard again.

"I know you're awake," she whispered into his ear.

Bernard started at that statement. Automatically, his eyes, or rather eye, flew open as far as it would go. However, his vision was still off and, with the added darkness, he couldn't make anything out. He let his eye close again, focusing on what Kendra was saying.

"I can only stay for a few minutes or Nicole will be worried. I am sorry about what happened to you. I know Nicole doesn't think it's our fault, but I can't help believing that we had something to do with what happened tonight. Either way, I'm sorry. I hope this won't taint your image of Southerners too much." She paused for a moment. "My main reason for staying was to ask a favour of you. You already know Nicole's fears about someone finding out we helped you. I realise it sounds selfish and cowardly, but I do share her concerns. I stayed to ask you not to tell anyone that it was us who helped you. It would be better if this were kept secret, even from your friends. Will you please do this for us?"

Bernard nodded.

Nothing more was said. Instead, Kendra stood back up and walked away. The sound of the wooden steps leading up to the cabin creaking under her weight was followed by a loud knocking that rang through the night. Any hopes Bernard had of hearing where Kendra went were dashed when the cacophony of noise from inside peaked as the door was flung open.

"Hello?" It took Bernard a few seconds to place the voice as belonging to Daniel, an older elf and one of Carlin's close friends. Daniel called out again, jerking Bernard from his thoughts.

Knowing he had very little time, Bernard struggled to find a way to avoid answering questions about who had helped him. After some quick thinking, he finally decided that it would be easiest to pretend that he didn't remember anything. Besides protecting Kendra and Nicole, it would lessen the time he had to spend explaining what happened. This decided, Bernard let out a low moan, hoping to attract Daniel's attention.

It worked. Daniel instantly came rushing down the stairs. "Bernard?" he asked, taking in the battered form in front of him. "Bernard, can you hear me?" The elf in question moaned again, shifting his position slightly. "Come on, Bernard. Wake up!"

Finally Bernard allowed himself to open his left eye. He found Daniel leaning over him, a look of concern etched onto his face, which was lit up by the light filtering down from the doorway. Groaning, Bernard began to push himself up.

"Daniel? What hap–" He stopped, gasping as his ribs complained about his movement. "–pened?"

"I was about to ask you that. Here. Let me help you up."

With Daniel's assistance, Bernard managed to stand. As soon as he was upright, a wave of dizziness washed over him. It was certain that he would've fallen had the older elf not been there to catch him.

Closing his eye, Bernard moaned.

"Let's get you inside, Bernard."

Bernard nodded his agreement, but instantly regretted it as another dizzy spell hit him. Once again, Daniel managed to catch him and right his balance. Keeping a firm grip on the younger elf's arm, Daniel helped him climb the stairs and enter the room. As soon as the pair walked over the threshold, all conversation stopped. Ignoring this, Daniel brought Bernard over to one of the empty bunks.

Between the aching of his ribs, the nausea caused by the walk and the headache that the light was causing, Bernard felt truly awful. As the other elves in the room began to whisper around him, he found himself moaning, only this time it wasn't because of his injuries. _Maybe spending the night outside wasn't such a bad idea. At least it would've been quiet out there._ With this thought in mind, Bernard allowed Daniel to push him back into a horizontal position.

"What happened?" asked one of the other elves.

"I don't know," responded Daniel distractedly as he began to check Bernard over. "You'll have to ask him. I just found him lying outside."

"Well, Bernard?" demanded a sharp female voice that could only belong to Almira.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean?"

"I…don't remember."

"Are you sure?" Carlin asked, stepping past his sister to stand near the head of the bed.

"Carlin!" reprimanded Daniel.

Ignoring Daniel's outburst, Bernard opened his eye partially so he could see Carlin. "Yes, I'm sure. The last thing I remember I was out looking for Ianthe's notebook. She'd left it outside."

"Ianthe is asleep."

Closing his eye again, Bernard leaned back into the pillows. He could already feel himself drifting off. "She wasn't when I left," he murmured.

"Bernard?" asked Daniel softly, bringing Bernard out of is half-asleep state. "You don't remember who took care of you, do you?" Bernard shook his head negatively. "Oh. That's a pity. Whoever cleaned you up did a pretty good job."

"Yeah," murmured Bernard, drifting off again. "She did."

Giving the injured boy a strange look, Carlin opened his mouth to say something. Seeing this, Daniel shot his friend a disapproving look. Carlin frowned, obviously annoyed, but said nothing. Satisfied, Daniel returned his attention to Bernard.

"You probably want to get some sleep now, right?"

"That'd be nice."

"We'll try to keep it down, then."

Daniel gave Carlin another pointed look. Glowering at his friend, Carlin began shooing the other Northerners away from the bunk. After shooting Bernard one last look, he left as well. Only Daniel was left standing near the bed. With a reassuring smile, he pulled a blanket off a nearby bunk and put it over the injured boy.

"You'll be fine in a few days. Just don't overtax yourself, alright?"

Stifling a yawn, Bernard nodded. Daniel shot him one last smile before leaving to join the other elves.

Sighing, Bernard let his eye close as he relaxed. That went better than he had expected. Everyone seemed fine with his story. Of course, that was only tonight. Tomorrow was going to be very interesting, but that was tomorrow. For now, all that Bernard was interested in was getting some sleep.

x.x.x.

If Bernard thought the first three and a half weeks went by slowly, then time almost slowed to a halt over the next few days.

The morning after his run-in with Bennet was rather hectic. Everyone had been showing their concern for Bernard and there had been many more questions to evade. At first, there was no escape from them, but by midday, Bernard had started to plead exhaustion.

Once she had found out what happened, Ianthe started apologising and was doing so continuously. Bernard tried to reassure her that it wasn't her fault. Of course, she was determined not to believe him and had been constantly by his side trying to take care of him. Bernard had a feeling that if he had asked her to change the weather outside she would have tried her absolute best to do just that. This treatment got old quickly.

The only reprieve he had from the mother-henning of the other elves was Alicia. Somehow she managed to keep everyone away with a single glare. Bernard often found himself wondering how she managed it. However, even Alicia's company was tainted. Her obvious worry for him appeared as soon as Bernard showed any signs of discomfort. Even worse was the look she kept giving him every time he claimed to have no memory of what happened. It was surprisingly similar to the look that Carlin had given him on the night of the event.

After the first few days, Bernard was feeling well enough to get up and move around. Once this happened, the attention seemed to wane, a fact for which Bernard was eternally thankful. When he thought back on it, though, Bernard found that he didn't mind the attention any more. It was nice knowing these elves would worry over him when he was injured.

Once, when he mentioned it to Alicia, she had jokingly replied, "Don't dwell on it too much. You see, no one wants to explain this to your mother so we've all been making sure that you're well enough to do it." Despite the possible truth behind this statement, Bernard was still flattered by their concern.

As the week drew to a close, Bernard found his health much improved. Most of the minor bruises had faded and the split lip was almost gone. The only remnants of his encounter with Bennet and his friends were his ribs, which still caused him pain, and his eyes. While the left one would be back to normal in another day or two, the other was still slightly swollen. Luckily, it had already healed enough for Bernard to open it again.

Bernard's rapid recovery wasn't the only good event. A letter from Rachel arrived towards the end of the week. It merely said that the construction had progressed far enough for the children to return home and she would be there to pick them up in four days. This news had brought a great deal of joy to the Northerners. Apparently, Bernard wasn't the only one who had been homesick.

The days after the arrival of Rachel's letter seemed to pass quickly. There was much celebrating in the Northerner's cabin. Whether the Southerners were glad of the Northerners' imminent departure was unknown. Most of the Northerners avoided the occupants of the surrounding cabins. Bernard wasn't sure, but it seemed the Southerners had been more anti-social recently. Either way, he didn't think it mattered. It was likely that none of them would ever see a Southerner again, much less these Southerners. Besides, he didn't truly care to ever leave the North Pole again.

It was the evening before Rachel's much anticipated arrival when Bernard was reminded of something that would make a trip from the North Pole tolerable.

Everyone was scattered around the cabin, packing their belongings. Bernard had finished quickly, seeing as most of his things were still in his shoulder bag, which he hadn't seen since Demas took it. Presumably one of that group was still in possession of it. It didn't really matter if they were. Bernard wasn't about to demand it back. Besides risking another beating, that would show he was lying about not remembering. Instead, he decided to be content with the fact that he still had some of his things left.

His lack of property to pack was probably the reason that Bernard was nominated to open the door if anyone should knock. Of course, just as he was getting comfortable on one of the remaining bunks, someone knocked on the door to their cabin. All eyes locked onto Bernard. Grumbling, the young elf pushed himself up. When he swung the door open, though, no one was on the other side. A slight frown creased his brow as the boy stepped forward, looking for anyone who could've knocked. No one was in the immediate area.

As he turned to head back inside, something caught Bernard's eye. Sitting on the second step was a familiar shoulder bag. The young elf grabbed the bag. Balancing the retrieved bag on the stair rail, Bernard opened it nervously. The first thing that caught his eye was a small notebook carefully placed on the top of the other items. When the first page was revealed, Bernard's suspicions that this was Ianthe's missing book were confirmed. Setting aside the notebook, Bernard proceeded to pull out a familiar coat. _Alicia will be happy to have this back,_ he thought as he put that aside as well. After digging around the bag a little, Bernard was satisfied most of his belongings were inside and he closed the bag.

As the top flap covered the opening, Bernard froze. Pinned to the top of the bag was a small folded scrap of paper. _How did I miss that?_ Bernard asked himself, carefully removing the paper. Unfolding it revealed a quickly scrawled message. It merely said '_Thank you.'_

Bernard flipped the paper over looking for more words, but found nothing. Not to be deterred, he looked out over the clearing, half expecting to see the brown-haired elf gazing back at him. Once again there was nothing, not even her blonde friend. With a soft sigh, Bernard put the note into his bag, then picked up Alicia's coat and Ianthe's notebook and headed towards the cabin door. After taking one last hopeful look around the clearing, the young Northerner opened the door and went to join the others as they prepared to return to the world they had always known.

x.x.x.

Closing Notes (like you actually want to hear more from me): Well thanks for reading. I am still working on Part Two: Meetings, but hopefully it will be done and posted soon. However, I've given up on giving estimates. School makes my writing much too unpredictable.

Anyways, I think that this turned out well, but I might be a little biased so leave a review to let me know what you think! Constructive criticism is always welcomed. Flames will be laughed at and praise will be blushed over. Also, if you want to send me an email, please let me know in the subject that what you're sending me isn't junk mail of some sort. The title of the story and/or the word review would probably be sufficient.

Until next part!


	2. Meetings

I actually had this part done about a month ago. You would not believe how much self-restraint it took to not post it immediately. Good thing I didn't, though. Even if only one person actually got around to editing it, her edits were invaluable and I'm glad I could add them. In other words, I'm hoping the "slight" delay in getting this up was worth it. So let's find out. The story is below. Enjoy!

See first chapter for disclaimer.

x.x.x.

Part Two: Meetings

Spring had come quickly this year and the weather had, for the most part, been pleasant. Now the weather was shifting. Summer's heat was becoming more apparent. However, the soft breeze twisting through the leaves was enough to neutralize any uncomfortable warmth. This wasn't the only reason to appreciate the breeze, though. The wind also served to conceal the presence of a small figure partially obscured by the braches of the tree she sat in.

By human standards, she appeared to be eleven, but her pointed ears were evidence to the contrary. Unconsciously, the elf pushed a blonde curl that had slipped from her haphazard ponytail behind her ear as her light brown eyes scanned the forest floor for any movement.

The girl remained completely focused on her search for a few minutes before giving up. No one was there. The rumours were wrong. Her eyes slowly drifted closed as she leaned back against the trunk of the tree. She could clearly remember one of the younger elves bursting through the doors to the dining hall and excitedly relating the news he had just heard. Northerners were arriving any minute, according to the boy. Of course he had been wrong. Eager-to-please Nolan always was. Still, she had come out to the forest and climbed a tree to get the perfect view of their likely path. If there was any humour to be found in the situation, it was in those actions.

_Oh well,_ she thought sullenly. _I might as well return to the dining hall. Supper will be served soon. _The Southerner slowly straightened. She had just begun to work her way down the tree when the faint sound of a voice stopped her. Shifting back to her former position, she patiently gazed through the foliage until a figure appeared. She didn't recognize the newcomer, though his unruly appearance seemed vaguely familiar. At first she dismissed him as a new Southern arrival, but a closer examination changed her mind. In the warm evening sunlight, the blonde could just make out a faint dusting of sparkles across his cheeks. Southerners never developed sparkles. That trait was limited to Northerners.

_So Nolan was right after all,_ she mused as more Northerners followed behind the first. She watched each pass with only mild curiosity. She had seen Northerners before and, though smaller, this group was very similar to the one she had seen so long ago. Most of the children were younger, though some looked roughly the same age as her. It took the Southerner a moment to remember that this meant they were actually older than her. The difference in aging was not something to be forgotten.

Finally, the last of the elves disappeared from sight. The Southerner had counted nine, a significantly smaller number than the other group she had met. Then again, there was a significantly smaller group of Southerners here as well. The blonde elf began to lean back against the trunk again. She would wait until she was sure the Northerners were at the cabins before she ventured down. Her back had just touched the rough bark when a sudden shout caused her to jolt upright. Only the natural reflex of grabbing the branches around her saved her from falling.

Having regained her balance, the Southerner looked down once again. Only a few seconds passed before a girl came jogging into view. She paused for a moment, trying to catch her breath and giving the elf hidden above a chance to get a closer look. The girl looked almost two years younger than the blonde, though it was quickly translated into them being roughly the same age. Her red hair was held up in a neat ponytail, which greatly contrasted the mischievous glint shining from her green eyes. It was obvious this girl enjoyed causing a bit of trouble now and then.

Breathing more evenly, the Northern girl straightened and glanced behind her. Automatically, the blonde followed her gaze. Who she saw caused her to start in surprise for the second time in as many minutes. Standing just behind the girl was a Northern boy of the same age. He stood slightly shorter than his friend and had only a few scattered sparkles beginning to appear on his cheeks. A smile appeared on his face as the girl asked him if he was ready to leave. Absently, he pushed dark brown dreadlocks away from chocolate coloured eyes only to have his hair fall forward again as soon as he lowered his hand. He gave his consent to continuing and the two elves quickly jogged out of view.

Shocked, the Southerner leaned back in her tree. She had never expected to see that boy again. In fact, she had been completely certain their paths would never cross. Yet, she had never managed to forget the Northern boy she had helped after he had been beaten by some of the other Southerners. It would have been difficult to forget that time. Besides that being her first, and until today only, time ever seeing a Northerner, everything seemed to go wrong shortly after.

Sighing, the blonde elf banished the memories the Northern boy had brought to the surface. The sunlight was fading quickly and she was certain the newcomers had reached their cabins by now. There was no reason for her to remain in this tree any longer. With an ease that could only come from practice she climbed from her perch, jumping the last few feet to the ground.

For the first part of her journey, the girl followed the same path the Northerners had taken. Eventually, she veered off that trail, cutting through the undergrowth. She made no effort to hide her passage through the woods, focusing instead on avoiding the many braches that could become snagged on her clothing. It only took a few minutes before she burst from the forest onto a well-worn path. Sighing, she ran her hand over her loose curls while glancing in both directions. Seeing no one else in the area and content her hair was free of twigs and leaves, the elf turned to her right and proceeded down the path.

She had barely gone three metres when the sound of voices reached her ears. There wasn't even time to halt her progress before a boy called out from behind her. "Kendra! Wait up!"

The blonde barely managed to suppress a groan. _Of all the elves, _she silently lamented,_ why did it have to be Nolan?_

Reluctantly, Kendra turned to face the younger elf who was hurrying towards her position. With him were six other elves. Terrence, one of the youngest elves here, was rapidly following in Nolan's wake, brown curls bouncing over his hazel eyes. Behind him, his older brother, Jeremy, followed at a more casual pace. Patricia, a mousy elf only slightly younger than Kendra, had been deep in conversation with Lenore, an older elf with a reputation for being outspoken and brash. Both girls looked up at Nolan's shout, as did the remaining two elves, Kern and Bryant, the eldest of the elves in the group.

The blonde returned her attention to the boy in front of her. "Where were you?" he asked when he arrived at her side. "I thought that you'd especially want to see Northerners. Weren't you listening when I told everyone about them coming?"

Kendra's eyebrows rose slightly at the pride in Nolan's voice. "Yes, I heard," she said softly.

"Then where were you? Everyone went down to the cabins to see the Northerners' arrival, but I didn't see you there. Didn't you want to see the Northerners?"

There didn't seem to be an acceptable answer to Nolan's question. She couldn't deny her curiosity. Everyone would know she was lying. At the same time, she couldn't bring herself to admit that she had purposely avoided the cabins and opted for sitting in a tree in the middle of the forest because she didn't want to interact with the other Southerners. Luckily, she was saved from answering by Kern's timely arrival into the conversation.

"It doesn't really matter," the dark-haired elf stated, continuing down the path. "I'm sure we'll see plenty of the Northerners in the coming days."

"I guess he's right," Nolan said after a moment's thought. Flashing a brief smile at Kendra, he hurried after the others, Terrence and Jeremy following.

Kendra hesitated for a moment before trailing after them. They were heading towards the dining hall, probably to get supper. There was no point in detouring when she was going in the same direction. No one seemed to notice her presence, which suited her fine.

"How long are the Northerners staying?" asked Patricia timidly, breaking the silence that had descended on the group.

No one answered her question. Finally, Bryant turned to Nolan. "Well, Nolan?"

"What?" All eyes had turned to the boy.

"You seem to have all the information about these Northerners. Don't you know how long they're going to be gracing us with their presence?"

"Of course not! I don't even think they know that."

Bryant ignored Nolan's defensive words, feigning shock as he continued. "You don't know? But I thought you knew all about this and now you're proven as ignorant as the rest of us! How tragic."

A few smirks appeared as Nolan opened and closed his mouth, flustered by Bryant's words. Kendra felt no sympathy for the boy. His new success at providing information had given him an ego and someone needed to bring him back down to earth. She was just glad Bryant had taken care of it before the boy's preening had forced her to.

"Well, I don't know how long these Northerners are staying," Nolan finally managed to say, "but Alexander told me that the last time Northerners stayed with Southerners, they stayed for over a month."

"Over a month?" repeated Terrence, shocked by this length of time. It didn't occur to him that most of his companions had been living here for at least six months and a one-month stay was nothing special.

His brother, on the other hand, latched onto a much more interesting piece of information. "Alexander's seen Northerner's before?"

Nolan nodded, though Kendra couldn't be sure whose question he was answering.

It was Patricia who answered Jeremy directly. "He was at one of the places the Northerners stayed when they last left the North Pole. That's why he seemed so nonchalant. He's already seen all of this."

"Just because someone acts like they don't care doesn't mean they've seen Northerners before," Lenore commented. "Isn't that right Kern?"

Kern shrugged. "They may have been raised in a different culture, but they're still elves in an unfamiliar situation. They're nervous, shy and distinctly out of place. There's nothing special or unusual about that. I don't understand your fascination with them."

Lenore rolled her eyes.

"What about you Kendra?"

Kendra looked up, eyes wide and startled. "What about me?"

"What's your opinion about Northerners?"

Light-brown eyes scanned the seven elves. Realizing there was no way to avoid answering the question, Kendra lowered her gaze. "They're nice enough people," she answered softly.

"Didn't you once say that you'd stayed with Northerners before?"

Inwardly, Kendra winced at Patricia's question. She had hoped the younger elf would have forgotten about that. It had been a mistake to mention it and she had regretted it instantly.

"Is this like Alexander staying with Northerners?" asked Jeremy.

Kendra nodded.

"I didn't think you two had ever stayed together before."

"We haven't. There weren't that many where I was staying, so they must've sent some children to other places."

Jeremy nodded. "Makes sense. Do you think they did that this time too?"

"I don't think it's beyond reasoning."

"Do you recognize any of them?" asked Terrence excitedly.

Kendra thought back to the boy she had helped. Instantly, she decided not to mention him. She was preparing a lie of some sort when she was saved from answering by Nolan.

"How would she know?" he demanded. "She hasn't seen any of them yet."

Terrence looked crestfallen at Nolan's harsh tone.

"I doubt I'd recognize most of them, anyway." Terrence brightened as soon as Kendra answered his question. The others gave Kendra curious looks. "We didn't interact much," she explained.

Lenore frowned. "I thought they were there for over a month."

"They were."

"Then how could you have not interacted?"

A sigh escaped the blonde. This was not a discussion she wanted to have. It could lead to far too many places she didn't wish to visit. Closing her eyes briefly, Kendra carefully worded her next answer.

"They were nervous and shy then as well. Most of them had never even left the North Pole. They tended to stay within their own group and we were–" She hesitated before continuing in a softer voice. "We were Southern."

By now the group had reached their destination. The dining hall stood at the centre of the large clearing they had just entered. The building was a simple design, as were most Southern buildings. Rectangular in shape, it had large double doors leading into an equally large room dominated by a wooden table. Most elves used this entrance, though all knew there was a small door on the other side of the building leading directly into the kitchen.

"Didn't you talk to any of them?"

As soon as the question had been asked, Kendra thought of the boy she had helped. This memory was quickly followed by an image of another, older boy with green eyes and messy brown hair. She couldn't stop the small smile from appearing on her face as she remembered the boy's awkwardness when he realized his mistake in age. Even better had been his sister's exasperation.

"I may have talked to one or two of them, but it was all very one sided."

Lenore merely shook her head as the group approached the entrance to the building. "I still don't see how you could've resisted interacting."

The smile fell from Kendra's face. "It was a long time ago. The place and the company were very different." As she followed the rest inside, the blonde mentally cursed herself for the way her voice had cracked on the word "company".

Luckily, none of the others heard. Despite the presence of fifteen elves, the room she entered seemed incredibly loud after the relatively quiet evening. Most of the light came from candles, but the windows were left open to let in the last vestiges of the sun. Food was laid out on the table with twenty-seven place settings, most of which were occupied. Just like the last time Northerners had stayed with Southerners, a clear divide appeared between the two groups as the Northerners already present sat at the opposite end of the table from the Southerners.

Jeremy glanced back at Kendra. "What were you talking about?"

"Nothing that would seem important."

Kendra's words were soft as she spoke more to herself. Jeremy, who hadn't waited for an answer, didn't hear the girl's words. Shaking her head, the blonde moved to follow Jeremy to the table, but was stopped by a strong grip on her arm. Turning, she found Kern staring at her.

"To whom?" he asked when he saw he had her attention.

"What?"

"To whom would it not seem important? To yourself? Or to us?"

Kern had overheard her last comment, Kendra realized. Blinking rapidly, she struggled for an answer. "It-it shouldn't be important to anyone."

"But it is," he retorted. "It's important to you. Why? If you don't think it should be important, than why is it? Just let whatever it is go. It's as simple as that." Kern finally released her arm. "You'll probably be better off if you take my advice." He brushed past her, heading towards the table.

Kendra couldn't bring herself to move. She wanted to. In the moments after Kern left her, she wanted more than anything to follow after him, acting like what he said hadn't effected her at all. But she couldn't and a part of her hated herself for that.

It wasn't that she had been surprised by Kern's insight. He was always very observant. She didn't doubt that he had seen through any of the lies or half-truths she had told. Neither was it hurt holding her in place. In fact, the feeling that Kern's words created surprised her. She felt angry and insulted. How dare Kern presume to know her thoughts and feelings? Even worse was the advice he had given her. Didn't he understand she was already trying to do exactly as he instructed? She was trying to forget, to move on, but it wasn't as easy as he had made it out to be. How could it be when such an important piece of her life had simply disappeared?

"Are you alright, Kendra?"

The elf jumped slightly, startled by the unexpected question. Turning, she found Nolan offering her a slight smile as he waved her forward towards the table. Kendra took a few steps in his direction. Pleased by her movement, the younger elf turned away, continuing his progress towards the table.

"Don't worry about what Kern said. I don't think he knows what he's talking about. I mean, how hard can it be to let go of something?"

Nolan didn't notice when Kendra stopped walking. The anger she had felt moments before disappeared. In its stead a new pain appeared. She understood that Nolan was trying to comfort her, but to have an elf as young as him telling her that she shouldn't be struggling with these horrible feelings and that her memories should be easy to lock away was almost unbearable. Tears slowly began to form in her eyes. Blinking rapidly against the moisture, Kendra backed away from the room.

By now, Nolan had realized that something was wrong. "Kendra?"

The hesitant question was all the girl needed to jolt her from her thoughts. Swallowing against the lump in her throat, Kendra turned and bolted from the room.

x.x.x.

The forest flew by Kendra in a blur of shadows and golden colours as she sprinted back down the path she had been walking only minutes before. She allowed her instincts to take over as she dodged exposed roots and ducked overhanging branches. It didn't really matter to her if she fell, but she wasn't sure if she would be able to get back up if she did and right now sitting in the middle of the main pathway wasn't an option.

As she ran, Kendra tried to push Nolan's words out of her mind, but they wouldn't leave. All of her life, she had been different. Never had she been able to stay within the limits of Southern emotions. It wasn't unusual for younger elves to feel more strongly, but Kendra hadn't even wanted to be like the normal Southerners. She liked feeling happy. She liked having friends, though no one else seemed open to the idea. Well, almost no one else. Another wave of sorrow overtook the girl at these thoughts. Choking back a sob, she put on another burst of speed.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a cabin half hidden by trees. It was only one of the many buildings scattered throughout the area. Each building contained multiple rooms and each room had its own entrance, ensuring privacy to the occupants of each room. Kendra had never felt more thankful for that fact than she did in this instant. Without slowing, the girl turned left onto a different trail.

She had only gone a short distance before she was halted by a hard impact. Distracted as she was, Kendra was immensely surprised to find herself suddenly on the ground and couldn't quite comprehend what had happened. A male voice answered that particular question.

"Are you alright? I'm sorry. I didn't see you coming." A hand appeared before Kendra. "Let me help you up."

Kendra stared at the hand. Blinking, she followed the hand to the arm it was attached to and continued upward until she found a face to match the voice. The few scatted sparkles marked him as a Northerner and the blonde easily recognized him as the first Northerner she had seen earlier.

A slight smile graced the older elf's lips as he lowered his hand farther, encouraging the Southerner to take it. The smile brought back the feelings of familiarity. Frowning, she struggled to remember. Then it came to her. Everything fit – the voice, the green eyes, the unruly hair and, of course, the smile.

"Carlin," she whispered to herself, testing the name.

The Northerner gave up on Kendra taking his hand and bent down, grabbing her arms and pulling her up. A look of surprise passed over his face at the sound of his name.

"Yeah. Do I know you?"

For the first time since she had run into him, Kendra focused completely on the elf in front of her. Shock passed over her features as she registered the situation. As she pulled herself from Carlin's grasp, his eyes lit with recognition. The look only unnerved Kendra more.

"Excuse me."

Without waiting for any further acknowledgement, Kendra brushed past the startled elf and started her mad sprint once again. This time, she was determined to pay more attention to her surroundings to avoid more confrontations. However, she was quickly overtaken by the thoughts she had tried push away and was barely aware of what she was doing.

The last time she had seen Carlin she hadn't been alone. They had such different reactions to his proposal. Or was it a request? Kendra had never been sure and the only other who might have had an idea about it refused to discuss it. The very thought of it had disgusted her. Kendra easily admitted to being surprised, dumbstruck even, but disgusted seemed to be overreacting. It had been an honest mistake and Carlin was obviously embarrassed.

Swallowing hard, Kendra skidded to a halt in front of one of the doors. Flinging it open she stumbled inside the sparsely decorated room.

The incident was only one of the disagreements the friends had over the Northerners. How could they have reacted so differently? Why had that one-month changed everything about them? Were the problems already there, just ignored, or did the Northerners cause it? If it was because of the Northerners, why did they let such a trivial matter come between them?

The door shut firmly behind the Southerner. Slowly, she fell back on to it and let herself sink down to the floor.

Kendra had tried. She honestly had. Did she not do enough? Was it her fault? Should she have tried harder? Did she try too hard?

Unconsciously she pulled her knees up to her chin, wrapping her arms around them and gently rocking back and forth.

Or did it have nothing to do with her at all? What if it was her friend? Were they friends? Kendra had thought so, but how could she be sure. After all, Southerners weren't supposed to make friends, only acquaintances. But she was different. She couldn't be content with acquaintances. She thought they were both like that, that she wasn't the only one, but how could she be sure? Maybe she had been wrong. What did she mean to Nicole?

A choked sob escaped her as she thought the name she had avoided for so long. A few tears managed to streak down her face before she brought herself under control again. _No!_ she thought harshly. _I will not cry._ Another sob welled up within. Frowning, she repeated her former words. _I will not cry._ More tears filled her eyes. _I will not cry._ The words sounded more desperate now. Taking a ragged breath, she tightened her grip on her knees and continued her mantra as she slowly rocked back and forth in the darkened room.

x.x.x.

Darkness came quickly. The small room was encased with it. Suffocating was the only word to describe it. Most would have done something, done anything, to lift the deathly atmosphere filling the room. However, the only occupant had felt like she was suffocating long before night had come. She didn't even notice when the eventual moonlight filtered down through the trees, lightening the oppressive feeling.

With such a silence settled over the room, the soft shifting of cloth seemed to echo unnaturally. It had only been a few moments since she had collapsed against the door. Or perhaps it had been a few hours. Yes, the elf was certain it was hours. If the telltale moonlight illuminating the inky black shadows into the familiar shapes of furniture wasn't enough to prove this, then the harsh quiet that only came late at night was. Her stiff muscles added to these conclusions. One didn't stiffen this much in only a few minutes.

A small gasp escaped her as Kendra used the nearby shelves to pull herself from her position on the floor. Without conscious thought, the muscles in her body tensed. Her back arched and her hands stretched outward from her body. A slight sway appeared as her legs tensed. A few joints popped, and the girl winced in pain. _Still,_ _it feels better now._

Muscles having finally relaxed, the elf took a few steps forward, moving towards the centre of the room. Unsure, she paused. While a part of her felt utterly exhausted, Kendra was filled with an unusual amount of energy. The thought of sleep was repugnant to her, but she didn't know what else to do. Glancing around the familiar setting, she saw nothing that inspired her to action. There was nothing in here to provide a distraction from…what? What exactly was she scared of? Memories? They couldn't hurt her, could they?

_Yes,_ she answered her own question, _they could._

A chill passed through her and she could feel her heart rate increasing along with her breathing. Suddenly, the room that had offered protection and safety before was confining. She couldn't stay here. Gasping, she returned to the door and extended a shaking hand towards the handle. For a moment she froze. What if she was wrong about the time that had passed? What if it was still early? What if she opened her door only to be confronted by other elves? She didn't think she could deal with anyone else right now.

She closed her eyes briefly, pushing away the irrational fears. In one quick movement, she pulled the door open and stepped through. Behind her, the door shut soundly, clearly punctuating her actions. It only took a few seconds to scan the area, revealing nothing besides the night forest bathed in a silvery glow. Kendra relaxed as her pointless fear left her. A breathy laugh escaped. Even to her ears it sounded strained and slightly hysterical. Only a few seconds passed before other thoughts returned to hover near the surface of her mind. Fighting against the relentless emotions, she levered herself forward and started into the woods.

It seemed silly to her now, her worry over meeting someone out here. Still, it had been a real fear. A slight frown creased her brow. All of this was caused by time passing without her knowledge. This greatly disturbed her. She knew it was past midnight. Morning wasn't too far away. Yet a part of her insisted she had only been sitting there for a few minutes. The frown deepened. Had she really been that lost in her own thoughts?

The Southerner, who had been too deep in thought to care where she was going, stopped to look around her. Something about this area commanded her attention and she abandoned her former train of thought, though she knew it wouldn't be neglected for long.

She took her time as she peered into the darkened woods. She hadn't gone far. Cabins surrounded her and her feet were still firmly planted on a well-worn trail. To her right, another, slightly overgrown path led to a nearby door. There was only one path, meaning the other doors must be reached by a different route. That or the cabin had been out of use for so long that the paths were no longer visible. Kendra didn't truly care which it was. Her attention was focused on the path before her.

Biting her lip, the elf took a few steps forward, then turned to face the opposite direction. She stood there for a moment. Then it dawned on her. This was the spot where she had met Carlin earlier this afternoon. Looking back with her mind slightly more coherent, the girl realized why she hadn't been able to avoid the boy. Sharp brown eyes shifted to the path. He must've been coming down this path, probably heading for supper.

With a jolt, Kendra realized she had stepped onto the smaller trail. For a moment, she found herself frozen by her unconscious actions. The moment passed and she took another step forward. Then another. And another. Her heart pounded as she continued down the path, finally coming to a stop in front of the wooden door.

_What am I doing?_ _This is insane._

Despite her thoughts, Kendra moved closer to the door. She paused as she stood before the entryway. She didn't want to think about why she was doing this. She preferred the unreal feeling that surrounded her, like living in a dream. Slowly, she extended her hand, rapping sharply against the wood.

Sounds of movement echoed from within. Breath caught in the blonde elf's throat as soft footsteps approached the door. A new thought raced through the girl's mind. What if this wasn't Carlin's door? What if she was wrong? She slowly stepped backwards, retreating into the night.

She didn't get far before the door opened. Tired green eyes, slightly unfocused, swept across the woods, coming to rest on the Southerner. Quietly, she let out a sigh of relief. It was Carlin's cabin. The relief was banished when the older boy's mind began to comprehend the situation.

"What are you doing here?"

Every instinct Kendra had was screaming for her to bolt, but she found her feet taking her forward, not back. As she moved, she desperately looked for a suitable answer for Carlin's question, but nothing came to mind.

A frown appeared on the Northerner's face as he watched the girl's slow movements. "Are you alright? You seemed a bit distracted earlier."

"I'm fine."

Carlin's frown deepened. The blond was now standing directly in front of him. He straightened slightly, gently laying his hands on her shoulders to stop her movement. Her progress impeded, Kendra finally focused, staring deep into the Northerner's eyes. In a flurry of movement, the Southerner surged upwards, pressing her lips against Carlin's. The older elf tensed, but didn't pull away. This was Kendra's first kiss, though, and her inexperience showed. After it became apparent she was going to do nothing else, the Northerner tightened his grip on her shoulders, pushing her back.

Kendra opened eyes she had closed to see a perplexed look on Carlin's handsome features. "What are you doing?"

"I–" She hesitated. What had she been doing? Scared of the answer her mind might offer, she quickly blurted, "I was kissing you."

"Yes." Carlin dragged out the word slightly. An amused light appeared in his eyes. "I realized that much. Why were you kissing me?"

"Can't you figure that out for yourself?"

The amusement disappeared. "Hmm." His eyes gazed intently into Kendra's and the blonde couldn't help but look away. The boy finally stepped backwards, pushing Kendra away to arms length. He began to close the door. "Go back to bed, kid,"

His movement was halted by the Southerner's hand impacting with the wood. "You once offered me a bed for the night. At the time I was just a kid, but I'm not any more. Now that I'm finally old enough to accept your offer will you truly turn me away?"

Her words caused the Northerner to pause. He stood, looking at the girl in front of him, his face unreadable. Finally, he sighed, pulling open the door and stepping forward again.

"I know what you're doing and I know why you're here, but I don't think you do. You're right. I won't turn you away. But I need to know you're sure this is what you want."

Kendra looked away again, hiding the inner turmoil she felt at Carlin's simple question. A part of her screamed that, no, she didn't want this. She wanted to turn and walk away from this door but she couldn't. What she felt now wasn't want, but need. She needed this. If she left, there was nowhere for her to go. Here she could find something. Here she wouldn't be alone and she needed that. She needed to have someone there with her, even if it was only for one night.

Meeting Carlin's eyes once again, Kendra found herself standing slightly straighter as she tried to wipe any signs of fear from her face. She knew if Carlin detected anything besides certainty, he would close his door to her.

"Yes," she answered, her voice sounding more confident than she had imagined it could. "I'm sure."

A sad smile traced Carlin's lips. "Alright. If you're certain."

"I am."

The Northerner stepped back to allow the younger elf entrance. Knowing she wouldn't be able to bring herself to turn back once she crossed the threshold, Kendra stepped boldly into the room, the door swinging shut behind her.

x.x.x.

The animal sounds often taken for granted in the day slowly returned to the woods, lifting the heavy silence of night. The sun had yet to peek over the horizon, though the blackness of night had already lightened into a dull grey. Morning had arrived.

It didn't take long for Kendra to decide she detested waking up. The room in which she found herself wasn't hers and the bed wasn't familiar. Even worse was the warmth of another body curled against her back. Carefully untangling herself from blankets and limbs, Kendra slid towards the edge of the bed before turning to confirm her fears. Lying next to her was Carlin, still sleeping soundly.

"Shit."

For a moment, the Southerner stayed frozen on the edge of the bed. It had been real. All of it. Of course she already knew this, even before she was faced with the undeniable truth before her. Still, she had hoped, prayed even, for it all to have been a dream.

Fighting back the emotions threatening to overwhelm her, Kendra finally pushed herself the rest of the way out of bed. She didn't allow her thoughts to truly manifest, focusing on finding all of her clothing in the half-lit gloom. It wasn't actually all that hard, but her fear of having to face Carlin made her cautious.

After she found all of her clothing, Kendra wasted no time in dressing. As she pulled her loose shirt over her head, she took a final glance around the cabin to make sure she left nothing behind. The last thing she wanted was to come back here later. Satisfied, she moved quickly towards the door, easily navigating the shadowy objects around her. Having reached the door without a problem, Kendra prepared to go out, leaving behind this waking nightmare, but she found herself hesitating.

She knew that she shouldn't be sneaking off like this. It was rude and showed very little respect to the Northerner asleep behind her. Carlin had always treated her kindly and he deserved better than to wake up alone. _But I can't handle this right now._ Tears welled up in Kendra's eyes. _I just can't!_ The muscles in her arms tensed, ready to fling the door open.

"Leaving already?"

Kendra jumped at the sound of a voice behind her. A startled cry tried to escape her lips at the same time she gasped, the result being a highly undignified squeak.

_When did he wake up?_ she mentally cried. The Northerner looked fully aware under the mussed brown hair, indicating that he had probably been awake for quite awhile.

"I…I…"

Carlin didn't say anything as he climbed out of bed and walked to the door. Kendra, realizing that her stammering wasn't helping her at all, snapped her mouth shut and waited for the older elf to say something. If Carlin noticed Kendra's obvious fear, he ignored it. He didn't say anything for a few seconds, merely looking at the girl in front of him. A slight smile crossed his features, though it fell short of his eyes. Shifting his position, he pressed one of his hands against the door near Kendra's head. Although the position was meant to look casual, Kendra recognized that it was to keep her from bolting.

"You know, I don't even know your name."

The Southerner made herself meet Carlin's gaze. "Kendra."

"Kendra." He nodded thoughtfully, looking away. "A lovely name."

"Th-thank you."

Silence fell over the room again. Kendra let her gaze wander. She found herself staring at the wall in front of her. Slowly, her eyes slid down until they rested at the junction of the wall and floor. There was nothing interesting there. It was an average floor meeting an average wall. Nothing was there to hold her attention. Light brown eyes never wavered from the spot. As she continued to stare, Kendra found it easier to forget the boy beside her and the awkwardness of the situation. The girl had almost stopped all thoughts about her surroundings when Carlin's voice brought her back to the room.

"I lied earlier."

Confused by this sudden and rather succinct confession, Kendra once again looked at the Northerner, a slight frown creasing her brow. She waited impatiently for him to explain his words, but he kept staring at the other side of the cabin.

At last, she gave up and asked, "Lied about what?"

A slight smile played across his features. "About knowing why you were at my door in the middle of the night."

"Oh." Her eyes shifted to the floor. She hadn't truly wanted to be reminded of that.

"Don't misunderstand this, Kendra."

His tone was so harsh and so unlike him that Kendra couldn't help but look back up. When she did, she found that he was finally looking at her again. Instantly, she wished that he weren't. The way he was looking at her was unnerving. It felt as though he knew all of her secrets, though he had only just learned her name.

"I may not know exactly why you came here, but I still know what it was you were doing." He leaned in towards the Southerner, lowering his voice as he spoke. "Even if forgetting was the answer to your problems, this isn't the way to go about it."

Kendra's eyes widened at the words. Whatever she had expected Carlin to say, it wasn't anything like this. Feeling trapped, the blonde started forward. A firm grip on her upper arm stopped her from moving. Desperately she tried to control her trembling as she once again met Carlin's intense gaze.

"Running away isn't the answer either."

An anger rose within her. "Then what is?" Her own vehemence surprised her. "You seem to know everything, so what is the answer to my problems?"

"I don't know. Like I said, I don't know why you're here. Actually, I'm surprised you are. A Southerner is the last person I expected to act like this. I didn't think you were supposed to feel this strongly about anything."

"We're not." The anger drained out of the elf. A single tear managed to slip down Kendra's face before she could stop it. Quickly, she wiped it off her cheek, turning her head so Carlin couldn't see. _Damn,_ she thought as she struggled to get herself under control.

"There's one of your problems. You shouldn't stop yourself from crying."

"It doesn't help anything."

"You're wrong. It does help. It may not feel like it, but crying helps."

Kendra said nothing, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with his words. Sighing in frustration, Carlin grabbed the girl's shoulders, moving both of their bodies so they were looking at each other.

"You're grieving. I don't know who or what for, but it's obvious that you are. I can't tell you exactly what to do or how to respond. I can't fix all of your problems. That's your job. What I can do is tell you what I know.

"I know that it hurts. It hurts more than anything ever should. It feels like you're slowly getting torn to shreds from the inside out. I know it feels like the pain and the hurt and the sorrow are too much to bear. The thought of getting lost in that whirlwind of emotion, of losing control terrifies you and that's why you keep running.

"The thing about running is eventually there's no where else to go. It's better to just face it now. It will take over and you will lose control. There will be lots of pain and tears and it's alright to be afraid of that. You need realize that, no matter how horrible it gets, you can work through it. It goes away, Kendra. The lack of control, feeling like you're going to shatter at any moment, the fear and the uncertainty – it all goes away, if you let your grief run its course."

Carlin straightened, his stream of words suddenly ended. He let his hands drop from Kendra's shoulders and moved away from the shocked Southerner.

"I can't make you take my advice, Kendra. You could walk out of that door and pretend this whole thing never happened, but I hope that you'll at least think about what I've said."

Kendra could find nothing to say in response to this. Knowing some sort of answer was needed, she nodded, already turning towards the door. Once again, she hesitated with her hand on the handle. She felt like she should say something more, but nothing came to mind. Realizing there was nothing she could do, she finally pulled the door open, letting in the first golden rays of morning.

The Southerner was going to step outside when Carlin called to her. "Kendra?" The girl turned so she could view the older elf. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"No."

"The last time I stayed with Southerners, something happened that I've always wondered about. A younger elf named Bernard managed to get himself beaten. I never knew who did it." Kendra opened her mouth to speak. "And I never want to. However, someone did fix him up and bring him back to our cabin. He never said who it was. Claimed to be unconscious through the entire thing, in fact. Still, he let slip that someone, a 'she', was responsible." He smiled slightly. "It was you, wasn't it?"

Kendra found that she could only blink at this unexpected question. After her surprise had passed, she felt the corners of her mouth lift into a self-conscious smile. Embarrassed, she ducked her head. "Yes," she answered softly. "Yes, it was me."

A hand came to rest gently on her shoulder. When Kendra looked up, she saw Carlin softly smiling at her. "You're a good kid, Kendra," he insisted, leaving no room for disagreement. "Don't let yourself forget that."

A blush crept onto her cheeks as Kendra nodded in response to Carlin's words. _No,_ _I don't think I'll ever forget this._

x.x.x

Despite the arrival of morning, very few elves were awake. It wasn't unusual to see the residents sleeping in well after sunrise. As Kendra hurried through the woods, she briefly let relief flood through her when it became apparent that it was a normal morning.

_At least for everyone else._

Blinking against the tears, she tightened her grip across her stomach. Summer may be in the air, but the mornings still held a distinct chill. Not that she was foolish enough to believe this was why she couldn't stop shivering.

It seemed like it took an eternity to reach her cabin from Carlin's. When she did finally arrive, she wasted no time in bursting through the door. Once inside, she paused, unsure of where she was going. Eventually, she took a tentative step forward, moving towards the stool standing near a small table. Another step followed the first, more confident this time. As she moved through the darkened room, Kendra forced herself to bring her hands to her sides and assume a more casual position. She could relax. There was no one in here to see her.

_Yes,_ she thought. _There isn't anyone else here. Why do I care how I appear?_ Before she finished the thought, her arms had found their way back to her midsection.

In truth, the closed off body language didn't truly appear that different from her normal body language. The difference was completely internal. Never before had Kendra felt so out of control. Thoughts whirled through her mind so fast she couldn't make any materialize. Only her emotions seemed to be running clearly, but even they were constantly shifting.

Sinking onto the stool, she closed her eyes tiredly. She didn't know what it was that Carlin had stirred up in her. She didn't want to know. The fear of touching whatever was lurking beneath the surface of all this turmoil was overpowering and the elf shied away.

_Maybe that's one of the problems_.

The thought came unbidden. Kendra straightened, blinking into the darkness. She had never had a thought like that before. Always she had trusted her instincts and trusted that if she was afraid of something it was for a good reason.

"Eventually there's nowhere else to go," she whispered, not truly realizing she spoke aloud.

A strange feeling spread through her. At the time, Kendra hadn't really believed what Carlin was saying. What could he know? Now, as she rethought his advice, his words made sense. Maybe, just maybe, he did know what he was talking about. _But that means…_

A sharp shake of her head dispelled the thought. _No,_ she mentally hissed. _I won't lose control._ Despite the firmness of her resolve, the tears were already welling up in her eyes and she could feel the sorrow pushing to the front of her mind with all the memories she had tried to forget.

A choked sob echoed through the room. Kendra brought her hand up to cover her mouth as if to hold back the tears, but it was too late. A ragged breath was followed by another sob as tears began to spill down her cheeks. There was no possibility of stopping the overwhelming flood of emotion and Kendra was finding that a large part of her didn't want to. Closing her eyes, the blonde reluctantly let go of her emotions, allowing the tears to slip from under her eyelids unchallenged.

x.x.x.

Time did not pass quickly for Kendra. Every minute seemed to creep by. Yet hours slid away without her knowledge. It was a strange feeling not knowing how many days had come and gone. It was an even stranger feeling to realize that she didn't care. There were only a few instances in her life where she had lost track of time. Rarely had she willingly given herself over to these periods and the experiences had been wholly unpleasant. It wasn't exactly enjoyable this time, but it had felt refreshing to review her memories of Nicole, even if all of them were tainted by the bitterness of their friendship's final years.

_At least four days._

It had been at least four days. Four days alone in her cabin. Four days of memories and tears. Of course she could be wrong. The only way to find out would be to go outside and ask someone. The blonde frowned at her hand resting against the door. She needed to go outside if for no other reason than her hunger, but she wasn't sure if she was ready. Kendra doubted she could confidently face the others yet. It was this uncertainty that led to her hesitation at the door.

A humourless smile replaced her frown. _This is becoming a bad habit._ She tightened her grip on the handle as she tried to force her doubts to the back of her mind. _Since when did I become afraid of opening a door?_ Rolling her eyes at her own foolishness, Kendra stepped out into the late afternoon sun. Nervously, she waited for someone to see her, to call out to her, but it quickly became apparent that no one was there. The blonde released the breath she'd been holding, slumping against the door. _See?_ _Foolishness._

Kendra slowly straightened and began walking towards the main path. Halfway there, she paused for a moment. While it had been foolish to be afraid to go outside, she still felt too emotionally raw to safely deal with people, especially the Southerners. Biting her lip, the blonde glanced towards the woods. She knew her way around, even in the less travelled portions of the forest. It wouldn't be difficult to find her way to the dining hall.

Before she could decide the sound of voices reached Kendra's ears. Without further thought, she ducked into the brush along the path. Two Northern elves soon came into view. Kendra held as still as possible, not wanting to risk discovery. After they had passed, she slowly stood.

_No, I'm not going to try the main path._

Having made the decision, the blonde moved deeper into the woods.

x.x.x.

Traversing the woods took longer than Kendra thought it would. As predicted, she didn't get lost, but a few elves had been wandering off the trail and she had to circumvent a small picnic three Northerners were having. The stealth quickly wore on Kendra's patience and the dining hall was a welcomed sight. Still, Kendra once again hesitated. Often the building was occupied by bored elves. Kendra had retreated to the cool interior of the large building on more than one occasion. After a moment's thought, the blonde decided that it would be easier to go directly to the kitchen.

This choice resulted in more time spent in the forest. With most of the windows open, Kendra felt safer walking the circumference of the clearing instead of going across it. By the time she reached the opposite side, Kendra was questioning her decisions. It might have been easier to deal with the other elves.

A relieved sigh passed the elf's lips when she finally entered the kitchen. Her relief was quickly replaced with confusion. What she could see of the room was empty. Usually, someone was in here preparing for the next meal. Wandering forward, she called out. She was relieved when another voice answered.

"Hello?" A petite elf leaned out from behind a large cabinet. The woman's brown hair was pulled back firmly into a braid and her plain clothing was covered by an apron. Brown eyes regarded Kendra for a moment before she went back to what she had been doing. "Do you need something?"

"I was just looking for something to eat."

The older elf stopped her work, turning back to Kendra. "Did you miss lunch?"

"Yes."

Again the woman looked Kendra over. Sighing, she stepped back from the counter where she was working. "Alright. Go sit over there." She gestured behind her with a flour-covered hand.

"Thank you," Kendra said as she hurried past to a small stool next to a counter. A grunt was her only reply as the woman hurried away, presumably to look for food.

The cook was only gone for a few minutes before she returned carrying a bowl. She carefully set the bowl before the younger elf, and then returned to work on what Kendra guessed was some sort of bread.

Kendra stared into the soup for a moment before she picked up the spoon inside. The soup was not hot, though it wasn't exactly cold either. It was probably the leftovers from lunch and seemed unappealing to the girl. However, after the first bite, she quickly changed her mind. The soup may have cooled off some and was definitely over-spiced, but it was better than nothing and she was hungry. It took all her self-restraint not to bolt the food in front of her.

A loud bang reminded Kendra of the other elf's presence. Looking up, she saw the woman carefully wiping her hands on a towel. Their brown eyes met and the cook smiled for the first time since Kendra had entered. Putting the towel aside, the older elf grabbed another stool and approached the counter.

"How is it?" she asked as she sat down.

"It's good."

"Huh. I always thought Maggie over-spiced it."

Kendra chuckled, but didn't say anything.

Silence fell between the two as Kendra returned to her meal. Finally, the woman broke the silence again. "Anna," she introduced herself.

"Kendra."

"You seem fairly hungry, Kendra."

Kendra made a neutral sound, not wanting to admit too much to this elf.

Anna smiled. "Wait here." Kendra sat straighter and Anna laughed. "Don't worry. Finish your soup and I'll be right back."

The blonde frowned slightly, but did as she was told while Anna removed her dish from the oven to cool, then hurried away. By the time she had finished, Anna had returned with something wrapped in a napkin. Smiling, she picked up Kendra's bowl and pushed the package towards her.

"Thank you," said Kendra, standing. She glanced at the napkin, debating on whether to take it or not. Eventually, she decided it would be impolite if she didn't. Gingerly she picked up the package.

"Oh wait!"

Kendra paused, watching curiously as Anna rushed to where she had placed her dish to cool. She returned seconds later with a biscuit in her hand. Still smiling, she took the package from the confused girl and unwrapped it, revealing an assortment of vegetables, some meat and a piece of cheese. Kendra's eyes widened in surprise. Anna ignored the shocked expression, wrapping the biscuit in with the rest of the food before handing it back to the blonde.

"Thank you very much," murmured Kendra, still shocked by Anna's kindness.

"You're welcome. Next time, don't miss so many meals." The older elf gave Kendra a quick wink as she shut the door.

x.x.x.

Overall, the meal had been a small one and served mainly to whet the blonde elf's appetite. Although she disliked the thought of attending supper, she knew it was necessary. It was unlikely she'd be able to receive another meal directly from the kitchen. Besides, she desired something more substantial than the leftovers. Maybe, if she arrived early enough, she could avoid the majority of the elves who would attend the meal. Kendra pondered the idea as she nibbled on what was left of the vegetables. With a small sigh, she gave up deciding right now.

Refolding the napkin around the few remaining vegetables and the half-eaten biscuit, Kendra glanced at her surroundings. After leaving the kitchen, the girl had headed back into the woods, wandering in deeper with no particular destination in mind. She wasn't lost yet, but she had gone further than she meant to. The fact didn't actually disturb her much. There was no reason to return to her cabin and she was enjoying her walk.

Suddenly, the girl remembered the area more clearly. If she wasn't mistaken, a small stream ran through here just a short distance away. A slight smile appeared at the thought of relaxing in the pleasant area. Kendra carefully tucked the napkin into a pocket, and then started towards the general direction of the stream. Soon a soft murmur of running water reached her ears and it wasn't long before she pushed through the last of the brush.

The tranquil spot was almost exactly as she remembered it. A small stream bubbled through the area surrounded by soft grass and tall trees. The undergrowth was thick, but not unpleasant. In fact, it gave the scene more seclusion. It seemed to be a timeless place sometimes. The only thing that had changed from Kendra's last visit was the child-like figure sitting to her left. The figure, obviously an elf, was facing away from Kendra and hadn't noticed her presence yet. At first she was surprised to see another, then Kendra began to wonder why this elf was here.

She moved closer. "Hello?"

The figure turned, revealing tear-streaked cheeks and distraught eyes. Kendra barely stopped a gasp from escaping her lips as she realized whom she had stumbled upon. Looking up at her with a closed expression was the Northerner she had helped. Bernard, according to Carlin.

Kendra could think of nothing to say. The boy shifted uncomfortably as she continued to stare. Crossing his arms defensively, he eventually turned back to the stream. "Did you want something?"

The question brought Kendra out of her shock. "No," she answered quietly. "I'm–I'm sorry if I intruded."

The Northerner made no response. Unsure of what to do, Kendra waited a few seconds. Realizing Bernard wasn't going to respond, she forced herself to turn back to the forest, intent on leaving the distressed boy alone. A soft sound from behind her made her stop. Slowly she returned her gaze to the boy. He didn't repeat the sound, which had sounded suspiciously like a choked sob. Kendra took a small step forward.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

Kendra gently bit her lower lip. Warily, she watched the other elf. She wasn't sure if she should stay. It was quite probable that the boy wanted to be by himself, but she was worried about him and didn't want to leave him alone. She toyed with the idea of going to find one of his friends to come and talk to him. The thought was quickly discarded. The Southerner had no way of knowing if one of his friends wasn't the reason he was out here. In the end, she was the only one she could be certain of. Taking a deep breath in hopes of calming herself, the girl knelt slightly behind the Northerner.

"Did you miss lunch?" she asked softly. Her only answer was a shrug. Removing the napkin from her pocket, she held it out to the boy. "Here."

Bernard turned slightly, allowing his gaze to slide over the offered food before raising annoyed eyes to the blonde. "No thank you."

Kendra understood the message. Leave. Ignoring the animosity being directed toward her, she set the package on the ground beside the Northerner. "Take it. You may want it later."

The other elf said nothing as he turned his back on the girl once again, ignoring the food beside him.

Returning to chewing her lip, Kendra tried to think of something more to say. Nothing came to mind. Bernard had made his feelings clear to her. He wanted her gone and unless he changed his mind there wasn't anything more she could do. Sighing, she pushed herself to her feet. After a few steps towards the forest, she turned back.

"I am sorry for intruding." With that said, she continued on her way.

"Do I–" Kendra whirled to find Bernard looking at her. With a shake of his head, the Northerner looked away. "Never mind."

"What is it?"

"Nothing." He paused. "It's just that–" He slowly turned to look up at the blonde. "Do I know you?"

Shrugging, Kendra knelt down again, bringing them to a more equal height. "I suppose it's possible."

The Northerner frowned. "You seem so familiar."

"There are a lot of Southerners. Maybe you're confusing me with someone else."

"No," he said confidently. A few more seconds passed as he stared at Kendra, trying to place her. Abruptly he said, "It's you."

"Is it?"

"Yes, it is. You're one of the girls who helped me."

"I–" Kendra looked down, rolling a blade of grass between her fingers.

Bernard, who had been watching her reaction closely, looked back at the stream. "I'm sorry," he apologized sincerely. "I shouldn't have mentioned that. You didn't want me to–"

"It's alright," Kendra reassured him, cutting him off. "It was a long time ago. It doesn't matter any more."

"Are you sure?" Bernard met the Southerner's confused gaze. "I know you were afraid of others knowing you helped me."

Kendra attempted a reassuring smile. "It's fine."

Silence descended on the pair as Bernard turned back to the stream. Kendra noted his hands playing nervously with the grass under them. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"I was surprised to see you as well."

He turned back once again. "I haven't seen you at all before today. When did you see me?"

"I saw you and the others arrive. Since then I've been…" Kendra paused to find an acceptably neutral word. "Preoccupied."

Another silence fell. It felt more awkward than before. Kendra was certain Bernard knew she was purposefully understating her reasons for not being around the past few days. Still, the blonde wasn't inclined to tell him the truth. She especially hoped to avoid mentioning certain details, such as her time spent with Carlin. As enjoyable as it had been, she wasn't proud of her decision that night. Hopefully, she would never have to explain it to anyone, much less the boy in front of her.

"Thank you."

Kendra started, surprised by the unexpected words. "For what?"

"For helping me despite your misgivings."

"It wasn't a problem." She paused before adding a self-conscious, "You're welcome."

Neither of the elves spoke for a moment. Kendra let her mind wander back to the time she had helped Bernard. He seemed so different now. Back then he had been curious and so very young. Even when she had seen him a few days ago, there had been a love of life evident in his eyes. Frowning, she wondered what could have caused this change in his manner.

A shifting of Bernard's position brought Kendra back to the present. "What happened to the other place?"

The Southerner gave the Northerner a confused look. "Nothing happened to it as far as I know."

"Then why are you here instead of there?"

Kendra's eyes widened at the question. Of all the topics she thought Bernard might bring up, her home situation hadn't crossed her mind. Hoping her answer would be suitable, she quietly explained, "I went home. After a while, my mother decided it'd be best if I left again for a while. I just happened to end up here instead of there."

"Did she think you'd be in the way?" Bernard had turned to face the stream again.

"What?"

"Your mother. Did she think you'd be in the way?"

"You could put it that way." Kendra hoped Bernard wouldn't ask anything else. Her mother was not a topic the Southerner was eager to discuss.

"My mother thought the same thing."

"Oh. Is that why you're here?"

"That's why we're all here."

Not sure how to respond, the girl nodded sagely, though she knew the boy wouldn't be able to see her. Several moments passed. The only sounds that broke the silence were the distant singing of summer birds, the stream and a gentle breeze rustling the leaves. Kendra shifted nervously as she waited for the Northerner to say something.

"I should've been there." The words were so soft they were barely audible.

"Been where?"

"Home."

"Wh–" Kendra cut herself off before she could ask why. She had a feeling this was part of the reason Bernard was out here. Somehow it didn't seem right demanding to know what he was just beginning to reveal to her. Covering her error in judgement with a cough, Kendra continued with a different question. "What would you do if you were there?"

The answer seemed strained, as if Bernard was barely keeping control. "I don't know."

"Well, are you going back soon?"

The boy shrugged.

"You do want to go home, right?"

Again he shrugged.

Sensing the need for a change in topic, Kendra halted her questioning. She paused for a moment. "I don't think I want to go home." Instantly she regretted her words as Bernard turned to look at her curiously. She hadn't truly thought about how quickly this admission could lead to a discussion she didn't want to have. Smiling slightly to cover her mistake, Kendra quickly added, "I'd rather go to London. I always liked it there."

The Northerner gave the girl a perplexed look. "What would you do there?"

"I don't know. Maybe I could do something with numbers, like accounting or some such. I'm pretty good with my sums."

The boy merely nodded, loosing interest in the topic. Kendra could sense the boy drifting back into his own thoughts. Some time to think would probably be good for him, but Kendra didn't want the conversation to end yet. After so much time alone, the Southerner was enjoying her chance to interact with another. Besides, she was still worried about the boy. He hadn't actually told her what was wrong and Kendra was uncomfortable just leaving him now. _Perhaps I should just ask_. _It might be easier to talk about if I bring up the subject_. A frown appeared on her face. She couldn't be certain that was the correct course of action, but she didn't know what else to do.

Still unsure, the blonde leaned forward to touch the Northerner's shoulders. Surprised by the contact he turned, meeting her intense gaze. "Bernard, I–"

"Please, Nicole," he pleaded. "Leave it alone."

Kendra reeled backwards in surprise. "Wh-What did you call me?"

Bernard frowned at the question. "Is something wrong?" The blonde could only stare at the Northerner incredulously. Now concerned, Bernard moved closer to the shocked elf. "Nicole, what's wrong?"

The girl shook her head slowly. "Bernard," she managed to choke out, "I'm not–"

"Bernard!"

The Northern boy instantly looked up at the sound of his name. "Alicia," he whispered. Hurried steps carried him away from the stunned Southerner. "Alicia!"

"Bernard?" Alicia cried again, much closer this time.

He took a few more steps before stopping. "Over here, Alicia!"

The sound of brush rustling heralded Alicia's appearance near the stream. Kendra watched as the red haired girl she'd viewed from the tree rushed to Bernard, tears sliding down her cheeks. Without hesitation the girl embraced her friend in a comforting hug. Slowly, Bernard returned the hug, his own tears beginning to flow.

As Kendra watched the scene, she realized tears were also trickling down from her eyes. Brushing away the moisture, she carefully stood then stumbled toward the seclusion of the forest. Neither of the Northerners noticed her movement.

"I'm so sorry, Bernard," Alicia was saying. The boy didn't respond verbally and Kendra didn't look back to see what he did.

Reaching the relative safety of the trees, Kendra allowed herself to sink to the ground, her back resting against a tree. As touching as the scene by the stream was, the girl knew it wasn't the cause for her tears. _He thinks I'm Nicole,_ she mentally cried as silent sobs wracked her body. _All along he thought I was Nicole!_

"Theon's here."

"He is? Why?"

"You know how close he is–" Alicia paused. "How close he was to your parents. He wants to help, Bernard."

Kendra didn't hear any of the words drifting from the two friends. Mentally, she was rethinking her conversation with Bernard. Certain parts made more sense now that she was looking at them in a new light. His worry over letting her know that he was conscious when she and Nicole had helped him seemed clearer. A bitter smile played across her features. _And I thought that he was worried about my relationship with the other elves. All he was really concerned with was alienating me._ The smile disappeared, replaced with a fresh bout of tears.

"How can he help? There's nothing he can do now."

"Not for them, no. Bernard, he wants to help you. He wants to take care of you until you're ready to take care of yourself."

"I don't need him to take care for me."

"Are you sure? He's offering you a home, a place to stay."

The one thing Kendra wasn't quite sure of was the implications of Bernard's mistake. She couldn't understand what this meant or why she had such a powerful reaction to it. Granted, she had only recently come to terms with Nicole no longer being there, but this went beyond mere surprise or grief. When Bernard had called her Nicole, she had actually been hurt. It had almost felt like a betrayal. It was as if his mistake had left a personal mark.

"I could stay with your family if I had to. I don't need him."

"Maybe not. Maybe you'll be fine without him. But maybe he needs you. Did you think of that, Bernard? He's lost two very dear friends. You're all he has left."

Throughout the entire conversation, Bernard had never suspected that he was wrong. Maybe that was the problem. For so long, Kendra had been confronted with how different she and Nicole were, yet this boy she had helped, this boy who had remembered her and even thanked her, couldn't tell the difference. He had remembered their names. Couldn't he remember how contrasting their personalities had been?

"You want me to stay with him."

"I think it's worth considering."

"I don't think it's a good idea, Alicia."

But maybe the problem wasn't that Bernard couldn't see how contrasting her and Nicole's personalities were. No, the problem was that she had been thought of as Nicole. With a jolt, Kendra re-examined this thought. The more she looked at it, the truer it became. The truth was she didn't want to be confused with Nicole. More than anything, she wanted to be a separate entity from her friend.

"Perhaps you should go and talk with him before you decide, alright?"

"Alright. I'll talk to him."

Kendra sniffed against the tears that were slowly abating. Wiping away the remaining moisture on her cheeks, the girl considered her next action. Now that she had calmed down some after her shock, the elf felt foolish for what sherealized was an overreaction. She could fix this problem easily. All she had to do was tell Bernard who she actually was. It was simple.

Breaking through the foliage, she opened her mouth to call out to the boy only to have the words die on her tongue. The area was deserted. There was no sign of the two Northerners. Kendra sat down in the soft grass. It felt strangely empty here now that the boy was gone. The girl slowly reached out to pick up the napkin, still sitting neatly wrapped where she had placed it earlier. Absently, she spun it around in her hands.

It had been a mistake and a simple one at that. Kendra hoped to correct it quickly. She didn't want Bernard to spend the rest of his life thinking of her as Nicole. As she sat idly beside the stream, Kendra had a feeling that she had missed her opportunity. It had been luck that brought them together a second time and, as much as she wanted to believe otherwise, she doubted they would ever have another chance meeting such as this.

The Southerner brought her knees up to her chest and rested her cheek atop them as she contemplated all that had happened recently, staring at the water beside her, alone in the quiet woods.

x.x.x.

Response to Reviews

Gypsy-Fire: You're right. Bernard is OOC, but, like you pointed out, he is still young. Don't worry. I still have lots more things to throw at him before we reach the movie. I'm glad you liked the Southerners and my characters. It's kinda scary introducing original concepts/characters. I wasn't sure how they'd be received. And also, thank you for being the first to review! It was much appreciated (especially since I wasn't expecting a review until this part!).

Icepatch: Bernard is so difficult not to love. Don't know why. It's just the way he is. Anyway, enjoy hugging him. Just don't smother him before I get my story done, please. He's kinda the main character and, therefore, important. Thank you for reviewing and I hope this part wasn't too short on Bernard for you!

I'd also like thank anyone who read my story but didn't review. Just the fact that you read is pretty amazing and flattering to me, so thank you any lurkers who may have gathered!

So that was Part Two. I hope that it was worth the wait. Feel free to tell me if it was by moving your cursor down to that little review button. If nothing else, it will help encourage me as I work on Part Three: Threes. Until then!


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